A Queen Fit for a King
by 3119Fangirl
Summary: It seems all hope is lost when Hayley dies with Klaus's daughter still inside of her. However, when the Gemini Coven intervenes to save what could possibly be the most powerful witch to ever exist, no one, least of all those witches, has any idea what they've created. But they don't seem too bothered to rope an unknowing and unwilling Caroline Forbes into their problems, do they?
1. Separate Author Note

Welcome to my story, and thank you for taking the time to give it a try!

I just have a couple of disclaimers and things to take care of, so it's totally your choice whether to read this or just skip to the actual story.

First thing: The title is up for debate. I came up with it just before publishing the first chapter, and it might change the deeper I delve into this story.

Second thing: It surprises me how few fanfictions there are surrounding this plot, especially since people were kind of upset about throwing the whole Alaric-Caroline-twins thing into the plot just because Candice was pregnant. But whatever.

Third thing: You may or may not notice something about the titles in this story (as I'm writing this with only one chapter published... you'll get what I'm talking about as I publish more XD), and how they all coordinate. Hint: at this point, they're all Queen songs. That's it. That's the whole third thing. Might have to throw some other song titles in there if I run out, but whatever.

Fourth thing: I haven't watched all of TVD. I'm only a couple of episodes past where this story starts, and I haven't had time to keep watching it. So bear with me. I shouldn't be too bad, though, since I have such a terrible habit of constantly giving myself spoilers for things that don't happen for seasons upon seasons. XD That being said, I haven't even started The Originals. And I never plan on doing so. Don't get me wrong, I love Haylijah, and I would really like to see their story in the plot rather than just YouTube clips. However, I don't want to suffer through Klamille or whatever-the-hell-his-ship-name-is-with-Aurora, and I certainly don't want to watch the series finale in context. It's heartbreaking enough to watch in Klaroline edits. So, because I don't ever plan on watching it, I'm taking a few creative liberties with this fic. Namely, Kol is already resurrected by the time Caroline goes to New Orleans, in his own body instead of Kaleb's. Because as shitty of a person as Kol is, I wanted to put him in there.

(EDIT) 4.5: Hey, so remember when I said I would never watch _The Originals_? That was a lie. As I mentioned a few minutes ago when I posted the second chapter, I did start watching it. I'm only watching maybe the whole first season. Maybe. We'll see how much I like it. Don't get me wrong, Elijah, Rebekah, and Klaus are 4, 5, and 6 of my top 6 characters, and I love the idea of a show centered around them and their family. And Hope is awesome. But like I said, I just can't stomach Klamille or anything else of that nature. So the only reason I'm doing this is to give myself more information on the plot of TO before this story starts, since I am following canon TVD up to this point. It's only fair.

(EDIT) 4.75: Also, very nice choice on their part starting the first episode off immediately with Daniel doing a voiceover. Yes to Elijah's voice. Just yes. I stumbled across a Pin the other day about how Elijah saying "Katarina" was the most blessed sound ever, Klaus saying "love" being the only thing to rival it. 1000% agree.

Fifth thing: Hope's timeline on the Wiki is funky (she was conceived in March of 2011 and born in May of 2012), but I'm going to keep her birthday the same and just push her conception date to a regular timeline (about 9 months). Mainly because I share her birthday (born 12 years earlier, but the same day), and that's just another awesome feature to add to my birthday. National Harry Potter Day? Sam Winchester's birthday? Hope Mikaelson's birthday? Yes, please!

Alright, I think that's it, now. Onto the story!

EDIT:

WOW. I never expected my story to be this popular, especially not with just one chapter posted. Certainly not a chapter that's about 1/4 canon dialogue. XD Thanks so much to all of you, though! You're awesome!

Also... After telling one of my best friends that I wrote this story, she reminded me that I never actually gave a disclaimer. So, if it wasn't obvious, I don't own _The Vampire Diaries_. All characters (with the exception of Klaus and Hayley's second daughter, who obviously won't show up until much later in the story) belong to people that are not me, as does some of the dialogue in the first couple of chapters (group discussion in the first chapter, Katherine discussion in the second, and Tyler discussion in the second).

Oh, one more thing. My current update schedule is every other Sunday (I really want to keep at least one chapter on reserve in case I get behind), so plan on that unless I change it in the future.

I think I'm done now. Thanks again! Bye~!


	2. Funny How Love Is

New A/N: Hey, I'm back! Just finished catching up to where I need to be in _The Originals_ less than a half an hour ago, so I'm doing my updating (and putting off my Stats homework that's due tonight in the process, but whatever...). I didn't change much at all in this chapter, just took Marcel out of Hayley's death and put Elijah... into it, I guess? Not saying that he had anything to do with it, obviously, but now that I know where they were at in their relationship (or non-relationship, really), I know how he should react. Because we need a little bit of guilt induced misery, right? Eh, whatever. Rebekah's still a damn queen, and there's nothing more for me to care about. She's definitely grown on me since I started watching TO... But yeah, her convo with Care is the only thing that I tweaked. Thanks so much for being patient with me, and I hope to update chapter 2 by tonight and the other two tomorrow!

* * *

_Caroline,_

_Words cannot express how happy I am both in mind and body (especially body) that you were finally honest about how you felt towards me. I swear that I will keep my promise and stay out of both Mystic Falls and, subsequently, your life._

_I hope you don't mind that I took my leave early. Something urgent came up._

_Best regards,_

_Klaus_

Raising an eyebrow, Caroline reread the note, pulling the black jacket closer around her. She followed the scripted handwriting with her eyes. The last few hours played on repeat in her mind, and she smiled to herself.

She was sure would regret it eventually, but _damn _was that good sex. Maybe even better than her and Tyler's. Maybe.

Caroline had woken up alone against a tree, her own jacket underneath her as a buffer between her and the earth, and Klaus's jacket draped around her as a blanket. The rest of her clothes were neatly stacked next to her, something Klaus had apparently done before taking his leave.

She supposed that meant the jacket was hers to keep.

Caroline quickly pulled on her underwear and jeans, then clasped her bra. She held up her floral cami, sighing. When Klaus ripped apart her shirt, the buttons had popped off. How on earth would she explain that to any of the others?

Instead, Caroline zipped her jacket closed, then folded the note back up and stuck it in the pocket of Klaus's jacket. She would have to worry about her shirt later. After all, they still had Nadia and Katherine left to deal with.

Caroline draped both her cami and Klaus's jacket over her arm, then grinned.

She'd finally had scandalous sex, like she was just complaining about to Bonnie and Jeremy. Sure, Klaus wasn't the best person to do it with, considering all he'd done to torture her and her friends, but she couldn't help it. Once she'd started kissing him, she just... couldn't stop. She didn't want to stop.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Caroline sped off towards the Salvatore household, then slowed down for a moment. She couldn't just show up with someone else's jacket and a destroyed shirt...

She changed courses, instead heading for her own house. She didn't even bother going in the front door, instead leaving both the jacket and shirt on the bushes right behind her house and starting back towards the Salvatore's.

Shit, what was she going to tell the others? She was way late getting back, Matt was probably already long rescued, and she had no excuse. Maybe she got lost?

Yeah, let's just go with that.

The second that Caroline opened the front door of the Salvatore house, all of her confidence evaporated. She gently closed the door behind her, trying to avoid turning around for as long as possible. She didn't make eye contact with anyone as she walked through the foyer.

"Hey."

"Hey. Where have you been?"

Matt's question stabbed her like a stake through the gut, and she dragged her fingers through her hair, plucking out a stray leaf. Whoops. Guess she missed that one.

"In the woods."

Caroline paused, quickly zipping up her jacket as far as it would go, realizing that they were bound to notice that she was no longer wearing a shirt underneath.

"I got lost."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at her obvious lie, but said nothing. Caroline silently thanked her, then sat down in the closest chair.

"So, what are we doing?"

"We are waiting for Katherine to bite the bullet."

Jeremy answered her, still eyeing her with a slight air of suspicion. Thankfully, it didn't seem like anyone was going to ask questions. In fact, Matt turned to Bonnie and changed the subject completely. Bless his heart.

"So... this anchor thing... Does that mean you'll be able to, like... feel Katherine's death, or whatever?"

Bonnie shrugged.

"I think so. I mean, she's human, but she's also a doppelganger and... a traveler, apparently."

"So who else do you see over there? Anybody I know?"

Matt smiled slightly, and Caroline immediately knew who he was talking about. She rested her chin on her fist, glancing over at Bonnie.

"I see lots of people: my grams, the other witches..."

Bonnie took a long pause, then met Matt's eyes again, nodding.

"Vicki."

There was a look of awe in Matt's eyes, and Caroline couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She couldn't imagine what that must've feel like, to know that your sister was still right there, but you couldn't see her or hear her. But someone else could, and it killed you inside.

"I just don't talk about it, you know? Because it's just..."

Bonnie suddenly looked over her shoulder, then laughed. Jeremy glanced back, too, briefly, and Caroline raised her eyebrows. Bonnie turned back, and Matt looked at her with a furrowed brow, tilting his head.

"What's happening?"

"She's here."

Matt's eyebrows twitched up in shock, and Caroline's heart broke a little for him. Just because they weren't dating anymore didn't mean she didn't care. After all, they were still good friends, and she wanted him to be happy.

"She said she loves you."

Caroline finally fully looked back at Matt, a smile on her face. Matt grinned, shaking his head, and Bonnie glanced back behind her again. She smirked slightly, then turned back.

"Wait, what's happening? What am I missing?"

"Me."

Caroline froze. She knew that voice anywhere, and honestly, it was one of the voices she really didn't want to hear right now. Especially after... recent events.

Bonnie and Jeremy both turned to look at something behind Caroline, and she knew she hadn't imagined it. She turned, too, locking eyes with Tyler.

"Tyler?"

Caroline immediately turned back, not wanting to make eye contact anymore. Because she knew that if she didn't look away, she'd want to tell him everything. Her guilty conscience was already weighing down on her enough as is. To have Tyler back now... it just added to it.

After all, the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind' only worked if the person was _actually_out of sight.

Tyler started towards Matt, his hands in his pockets.

"Rebekah says to tell you that I'm her parting gift."

Matt laughed through a wide grin. At least he was happy to see Tyler. Caroline, not so much...

Tyler's eyes drifted back to Caroline, and she tried desperately to both look at him and not look at him at the same time. She wanted to avert suspicion, but she couldn't do that without looking at him, which was kind of hard to do. Hopefully he would just think that she was still angry with him for leaving. Not... something else.

"Hey, Care."

Thankfully, Tyler sounded about as awkward as her, although probably for a different reason. She finally met his eyes again, and they held a deep sadness that broke her heart even more.

"Hey."

She wanted her voice to be louder, but her vocal chords just weren't having it. She looked down again, trying hard not to tear up. Matt thankfully drew attention away from her when he got up and gave Tyler a hug. She let out an audible breath, then cringed internally.

"Have we really gone through four bottles of bourbon today?"

Stefan and Damon entered the room, and Caroline relaxed. Grabbing another shot of bourbon from the table behind the couch, she met Stefan's eyes, then shrugged. She downed the shot, and Stefan laughed. If she was going to sit through this awkward encounter, she might as well do it drunk...

* * *

Sunlight assaulted Caroline's eyelids, and she blinked tiredly, groaning. She stretched her arms above her head, arching her back. That was when she realized that she wasn't at her house.

The familiar surroundings of the Salvatore library greeted her, and she slowly turned her legs so she could sit up. She felt like shit, so for whatever reason, her vampirism hadn't cured her hangover yet. Great.

"Ah, she's awake."

Caroline laughed quietly, then grimaced when that made her head twinge. Stefan dropped onto the couch next to her, offering her a glass of water. She took it from him, nodding in thanks.

"What happened last night? I remember taking a ton of shots, then... nothing."

"Well, that's about it. You drank like crazy, polished off, oh, three whole bottles of bourbon on your own, then passed out on the floor of the living room. Everyone else was still here, so I carried you in here to let you sleep it off in peace."

Caroline's head shot up, and she immediately regretted the sudden movement. Her vision went black around the edges for a moment, and she felt light-headed. Shaking her head, she forced the dizziness away.

"Is anyone still here?"

Stefan shook his head, and Caroline let out a sigh.

"No. They all left a few hours ago, around sunrise. Bonnie and Jeremy practically carried Matt out of here, although I can't say much for Jeremy's state, either. He drank a lot more than Elena usually lets him. Although, I'm pretty sure Elena was upstairs for most of the night, and probably passed out earlier than the rest of us. I think Damon's still asleep, too. I haven't heard him up yet this morning."

Polishing off the rest of the water, Caroline immediately felt better. She brushed her fingers through her hair, trying to tame her bed head at least a little bit.

"Does that mean no one is within earshot?"

Caroline lowered her voice to almost a whisper. Stefan raised an eyebrow in question, but nodded. Dropping her hands back into her lap, Caroline bit her lip.

"Okay, I'm only telling you this because you are the last person who can judge me, so I will kill you if you do. Promise me that you won't judge me. Because I already think I'm a terrible person as is."

Stefan held up his hands in surrender at Caroline's glare.

"I promise. No judging from me."

Taking a deep breath, Caroline decided to get it all out in one go.

"Imight'vekindasortasleptwithacertainOriginalvampirewhomayormaynotbenamedKlauswhenIwasoutlookingforMattinthewoodslastnight."

Caroline spoke as fast as her mouth would let her, then immediately slammed her lips shut and closed her eyes, bracing herself for the judgement. Stefan was silent for a moment.

"You... slept with Klaus yesterday? While Matt was buried alive?"

Caroline's eyes shot open with an overwhelming urge to rush to her own defense. However unjust she knew it was.

"To be fair, he told me that he already sent someone to save Matt, someone that Matt would be happy being rescued by. I guess he was talking about Rebekah. So really, I didn't do anything wrong. Except for, you know, the sex... part..."

Trailing off, Caroline winced. She sounded absolutely pathetic. But much to her surprise, Stefan laughed.

"Hey, it's like you said. I'm the last person who can judge you. I just slept with Katherine, for God's sake. Sure, Klaus is a little worse than Katherine, but at least I can assume you slept with him because you honestly wanted to and not for some stupid loss-of-sanity kick, right?"

Caroline nodded, sighing.

"Yeah. He asked me to be honest with him about how I felt towards him, and I might've gotten a little... carried away."

Stefan laughed once, raising his eyebrows.

"And that's how you chose to tell him? By having sex with him?"

"I didn't know how to put it into words. Hell, _I _don't even know how I feel towards him. And in my defense, I only meant to kiss him, maybe go so far as making out for a while. Except then it felt _really _good to kiss him, and I just... didn't want to stop."

Caroline met Stefan's eyes. Her best friend was looking at her with an expression that can only be described as raw amusement. She winced.

"Sorry, is this weird? I feel like this is weird to talk about this with you. You know what, yeah, this is weird. I'm just gonna stop now."

Stefan shook his head, taking Caroline's water glass from her.

"No, it's not weird. At least, so long as you don't go into details. That's... not really something I want to hear about."

Caroline's face suddenly felt like it was burning up, and she sputtered for a moment, trying to come up with an answer.

"God, no! I promise you that I will _definitely _not go into details. I wouldn't even go into details with Elena or Bonnie! Especially not about... him."

Stefan laughed again, then stood up and ruffled Caroline's hair. She stuck her tongue out at him, trying to neaten it again.

"Well, good talk. I'm going to go and clean up all of the shot glasses and stray bourbon bottles. Come and help me when you feel up to it?"

Caroline nodded, and Stefan disappeared out the doorway. Dropping her head onto the back of the couch, Caroline sighed. At least Stefan didn't judge her too much.

_"Hell, _I _don't even know how I feel towards him."_

That was complete bullshit, but it was better than admitting the alternative. Admitting something that Caroline couldn't even tell Klaus himself, because she didn't want to say it out loud. Because if she said it out loud, that would've meant that she would've had to come to terms with it herself, and she really didn't want to do that.

She didn't want to admit that she was head over heels in love with someone who was quite possibly the biggest asshole she'd ever met.

* * *

Another day passed, and Caroline sort of purposefully confined herself to her house. She didn't really want to go out and talk to anyone, because if she stepped out of her front door, there was a chance that Tyler might've been around. And she really didn't want to confront that issue yet.

So she just stayed inside, spewing some shit about how she needed to buckle down on her homework that was due when she got back to Whitmore, and avoided everyone. Everyone except for Stefan, who called her late in the afternoon just to talk and catch her up on the day's events, because he knew why she was avoiding everyone and understood completely. Thankfully.

The weird part was that, like the previous morning, Caroline woke up with the same dizzy spell and headache. The headache went away after about an hour, but it still freaked her out.

Finally, after another day, Caroline decided that she had hidden for long enough. She didn't want to go back to Whitmore, because there was a chance that Tyler would be there, but she really didn't have a choice. She was still a college student.

Caroline was packing for her return to Whitmore when she came across a familiar piece of paper tucked away in the bottom of her dresser drawer, flattened under some of her old high school textbooks. She'd shoved them on top in hopes that her mom wouldn't touch them, and much to her relief, she hadn't.

Pulling the drawing out, Caroline stared at it for a moment. She'd almost forgotten that this existed. She hadn't even touched it since Tyler found it on her nightstand all that time ago. Every bone in her body was telling her to get rid of it, to throw it away or shred it or something, but she hadn't been able to back then and she still didn't think that she could now. So, she tucked it into one of her school folders and shoved the folder in her backpack.

"Caroline! If you don't go soon, you're not going to get to campus before dark!"

"I'm going, Mom!"

Caroline quickly zipped up her backpack and grabbed the rest of her luggage that she was bringing back to college, closing her bedroom door behind her. She was halfway down the stairs when her vision suddenly tunneled into nothingness, and her legs went out from underneath her. She heard her luggage hit the ground, but it sounded like it was a mile away. The impact with the ground never came, either. Or maybe she just went under before it happened. She wasn't really sure.

And just that alone terrified her.

* * *

Caroline woke up the next morning in her bed like usual. The only difference was that Stefan was sitting in the chair by her bookshelf, and her luggage was stacked by her dresser. Yesterday's events came rushing back to her, and she started to hyperventilate. What the hell was wrong with her?

Stefan was by her side in an instant, shushing her as he held her hand and ran his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of his touch. Her mom used to do the same thing when Caroline was a little kid and she would wake up in the middle of the night from her nightmares. That was how her mom would calm her down, and it worked every time.

It evidently still worked, because her breathing returned back to normal within less than a minute. Caroline slowly opened her eyes, meeting Stefan's. He looked more worried than she'd ever seen him, and that alone made her feel so much better.

"Hey. You feeling okay? You should've told me something was going on."

Caroline moved her arms to try and push herself up, but she barely got herself more than an inch off of the bed before her arms started to shake and she flopped back down. Tears formed in her eyes.

"Stefan, what's happening to me?"

Frowning, Stefan shook his head.

"I don't know. Bonnie's on her way back in case it's something supernatural, but you're not sick from what I can tell. And you were just fine before the day Katherine died. I'm honestly not sure."

"Who knows, maybe Nik gave her something when they shagged."

Caroline knew who the voice belonged to without even turning her head. Rolling her eyes, Caroline opened her mouth to address the person standing in her doorway.

"Rebekah. I thought you were already gone."

Caroline could hear Rebekah start walking into the room. The Original vampire appeared in front of Caroline, sitting down on the edge of her bed next to Stefan.

"Correction: Nik is already gone because there was an emergency back in New Orleans. Apparently, Elijah's recent row with Hayley Marshall caused him to give her just a little bit too much breathing room, and she decided upon herself to leave the safety of our house _again_. As if she didn't learn the first time. While she was out, someone got the jump on her and injected her with a poison. Elijah didn't find her until it was too late. She died within the hour. Some dinky out of town coven wandering through tried to save her, but they failed. Elijah watched her die in his arms, the only girl he's fallen for in centuries. He called Nik in hysterics, and my brother flew the coop for home immediately after informing yours truly."

Rebekah frowned, then met Caroline's eyes. The former's expression was stone cold.

"She was four months pregnant with Nik's daughter, my _niece_. But now she's dead, and so is any hope of our family growing."

"I'm sorry, Rebekah."

Caroline's voiced sentiments seemed to snap Rebekah out of her thoughts, because the Original gave a wry smile and stood back up.

"No matter. That doesn't concern you. Let's just get you figured out, huh? After all, Nik will certainly kill me if you die, too."

Rebekah rounded Caroline's bed in an instant, grabbing the younger vampire under the arms and pulling her into a sitting position. Stefan propped up her pillows behind her, and Rebekah leaned her back against them. Caroline felt like she was a child being doted on, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Let me go get you some blood, just in case you're it's just blood deprivation."

Stefan walked out of the room, and Rebekah immediately turned back to Caroline, smirking.

"So you finally gave in to my brother's charms."

Groaning, Caroline tried to make herself more comfortable. She could barely move a muscle, but she somehow managed it, then turned back to Rebekah.

"Don't start, Rebekah. I'm not in the mood for that right now."

Rebekah shrugged, then stood again.

"Your loss. I don't suppose I have any other reason to stay, then, since we don't know what's wrong with you. I might check back in tomorrow, to satiate what is soon to be my brother's constant worry. Since a certain someone banned him from ever coming back to town, the only certain someone that he'll actually listen to."

Caroline could hear the raw disdain in Rebekah's voice, and she flinched.

"It's not like I asked to be his obsession, Rebekah. He did that all on his own."

Scoffing, Rebekah flicked a stray piece of hair out of her face and glared at Caroline.

"You really are a stupid bitch, aren't you? Get it through your shallow little head. Nik isn't _obsessed _with you, he's_ in love_ with you. There's a difference. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be going. I'm heading back to New Orleans tomorrow night to make sure Nik doesn't burn the whole city down and Elijah doesn't wallow in his grief for too long. But I'll be sure to pay you a visit before I go."

Throwing a wave over her shoulder, Rebekah walked out of the room, nearly running into Stefan on the way.

"Please don't!"

Caroline could hear Rebekah's laugh, and scoffed.

"She drives me insane. I cannot believe you ever slept with... that."

Stefan rolled his eyes, sitting down on Caroline's bed again. He held a blood bag in one hand.

"I can't believe it, either. Now drink."

Caroline snatches the blood bag out of Stefan's hand, sucking it down greedily. She was sure she was making a mess, but she really didn't care. She was starving, and had been for the past couple of days, no matter how much blood she drank.

"Maybe that'll help. I don't know. I've never seen bloodlust like this before."

Caroline wiped her mouth and handed the empty bag back to Stefan. She was still starving, but that was nothing a little alcohol couldn't fix.

"I haven't, either. No matter how hungry I was, it's never felt like this."

She tried to push herself up again, and managed to sit up all the way. Grinning, she felt a rush of victory.

"Okay, I'm going to get you some more blood. That seemed to help, so let's hope it keeps helping."

Stefan squeezed Caroline's hand, then left the room again. By the time he came back with two more bags of blood, Caroline was already asleep again, her head lolled to the side.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so this chapter was choppy and sectioned. Like, a lot. Don't worry, there won't be that many breaks once we get into the actual story. The beginning bit is just super annoying to write...


	3. Say It's Not True

New AN: Okay, so updates on this chapter are basically just Caroline's conversation with Liv at the end. Liv's explanation got changed up a bit, and Caroline's dialogue went through a few pronoun changes. That's basically the extent of it, though. Thanks again for your patience and cooperation!

* * *

When Caroline woke up mid-morning the next day, she was in even more pain than before. Her head felt like it was splitting open, and her stomach felt like someone was stabbing her. There was no one in the room with her, but there were four bags of blood on her nightstand. Evidently gifts from Stefan before he left.

Caroline's mouth sealed around the first blood bag, and she sucked the contents down as if her life depended on it. For all she knew, it did.

Then went the second. Then the third. And the fourth. Normally, one or two bags was enough to last her for at least a while, but for whatever reason, she was still starving after the fourth. She wasn't in pain anymore, but there was still that annoying twitch of hunger in her stomach, and she hated it.

Her body felt almost back to normal again, so she tried and successfully managed to sit up on the edge of her bed. She stood up without much of a hassle, then plodded out into the hallway and down the stairs.

"Mom?"

Caroline was met with silence, as she had expected. She didn't think that her mom would be home mid-morning, even if something was wrong with Caroline.

Entering the kitchen, Caroline made an immediate beeline for the cereal cabinet and poured herself a heaping bowl of instant oatmeal. She added milk and shoved it in the microwave, staring out the back door. The microwave went off, and Caroline plodded back towards the front of the house, sitting down in the living room. She stared out of the window as she ate her oatmeal.

"Caroline?"

Bonnie's voice jolted Caroline from her thoughts, and she rose to open the front door. The second Bonnie saw her, she threw her arms around Caroline, nearly making her drop her cereal bowl.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Um, yeah. I downed four bags this morning, and I'm still hungry, but I'm not as weak and my pain is almost gone."

Bonnie pulled away to look Caroline in the eyes, holding her face and tilting it this way and that.

"Really? Isn't one or two bags usually enough? Have you been drinking enough recently?"

"Yeah, the normal amount. I didn't change anything, Bonnie. I just... dropped out of nowhere."

Frowning, Bonnie stopped moving Caroline's head. Her eyes suddenly went wide, and she turned around towards the front door. It was then that Caroline noticed the woman standing awkwardly in the doorway, shifting her weight from side to side.

"Sorry! Caroline, this is Olivia. She's a witch, but she's newer, so I'm trying to help her out. Olivia, this is Caroline, one of my best friends."

Caroline nodded in greeting at the other witch, then dragged Bonnie into the living room.

"Just please find out what's wrong with me. I don't have the foggiest, and neither do Stefan or Rebekah."

Bonnie raised an eyebrow at the latter's name, but Caroline waved her off.

"Don't even ask. It's better that you don't know."

"Right. Okay, let's take a look at you."

* * *

Caroline sat completely still while Bonnie examined her in any way she could possibly think of. After what felt like hours, Bonnie finally sighed and stood, staring at Caroline with a frown.

"I can't find anything. Nothing supernatural, and your vampirism would've healed any human ailments already. There's nothing else I can think of. Maybe it was just stress?"

Standing up, Caroline ran a hand through her hair, then started pacing.

"But that doesn't explain why I'm still so hungry. Like, ridiculously so."

Bonnie shrugged, standing herself.

"Not sure. Maybe a little fun will help, though. You're coming tonight, right?"

Caroline looked at Bonnie like she'd grown a third head, and the young witch sighed.

"To Tyler's, Care. His welcome home party? Matt's throwing it? Everyone will be there?"

Cringing, Caroline brought her now empty cereal bowl into the kitchen, setting it in the sink. Stefan had told her about the party, but she didn't want to go. It would've been awkward enough with just her and Tyler, but adding what had happened with Klaus? No, she never wanted to confront that skeleton in her closet. Ever.

...But she supposed that she would have to talk to Tyler eventually. It wasn't like their friends weren't still friends. And she was guessing that he came back to town to get back together with her. Sure, maybe her thinking was selfish, but some deep, dark part of her soul really didn't want to get back together. Because that same part wanted to be with Klaus, no matter what that meant for her or her loved ones.

...She'd never realized until now just how selfish love could make someone.

Caroline realized Bonnie was still staring at her, waiting for an answer. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Um, yeah, I'll be there. Maybe Elena will show up and we won't have to worry about her anymore."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows, and Caroline laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, Bon. Do you really think I wasn't still getting updates from Stefan, even when I was staying inside? I'm not completely in the dark. I know no one's seen Elena for a bit, and we're all worried. Damon most of all, which is hilarious considering he's probably the one she's hiding from."

Bonnie leaned against the doorway into the kitchen, frowning.

"They broke up. It's not like he killed Jeremy again or something. She doesn't really have much of a reason to be angry with him, much less angry enough to leave town entirely and not tell anyone where she was going."

"Who knows? I hardly know who she is anymore, so it's anyone's guess."

The spiteful comment left Caroline's lips before she could bite it back. The two girls fell into an awkward silence.

"...Sorry, Bon. I'm just stressed, and Elena's disappearing act isn't really helping. Maybe tonight will help, though."

_As long as Caroline can avoid Tyler at his own party, that is..._

Bonnie nodded silently, then clapped her hands together.

"Well, on that note, I should go and pick out an outfit for tonight, and I should give you time to do the same. Show up in something so breathtaking Tyler won't know what hit him."

Bonnie winked at Caroline, who forced a smile. Then the witch turned and walked back out of the kitchen, Olivia falling into step behind her. The latter paused for a moment, looking back at Caroline.

"Sorry if I'm overstepping, considering I just met you, but you might try consuming more of both human food and blood. Keep a regular human and vampire diet, maybe even more human food than you normally would. You could be experiencing malnutrition or some other form of dietary strain. Or maybe the stress is just causing an enlarged diet. Either way, I would try eating more and see how that goes. You might be surprised."

Olivia smiled softly at Caroline, then finally followed Bonnie into the entryway. Caroline heard the front door shut, and let out a sigh of relief.

"God, how am I supposed to get through this party...?"

Now alone in the house, Caroline couldn't help but mumble to herself. Her hands were aching to do something-her usual form of coping was stress cleaning-so she supposed that getting ready for the party would have to suffice. Even if it didn't start for another, oh, six hours.

...Maybe stress cleaning was the better option.

* * *

Caroline could hear the thumping of the music from all the way down the street. After all, as massive as Tyler's house was, his parties were always legendary. Whether that's in a good or bad way.

The closer she got to the house, the more her stomach twisted. Trying to avoid the main reason for the party would only work for so long, especially if he actively tried to seek her out. Maybe she could just hide out in one of the rooms upstairs until the party was over. The study probably wouldn't be used...

Caroline's teal dress brushed against her legs as she walked, her heels clacking against the pavement. The quiet sound felt like knives stabbing her head. She had done what Olivia had suggested and downed another blood bag with a rather sizeable lunch, and it really did seem to help. Her hunger died down somewhat, and her headache all but disappeared. But that didn't help her stress.

As she approached the front door, she took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. Sure, she felt guilty about the fact that she'd slept with Klaus, but that wasn't what was eating her alive. No, that was the reason _why _she'd slept with him in the first place and the reason she felt like she did afterward: happy and... whole. No one else had ever made her feel like that. Ever.

A group of giggling girls pushed past Caroline, jarring her from her thoughts. She had stopped on the front step, just shy of going inside. Shaking her head, Caroline walked inside, glancing around. Tyler was nowhere in sight, thank God.

But a certain someone that she actually wanted to see was.

"Elena!"

The brunette turned around, raising her drink to Caroline in greeting. Caroline approached her, throwing her arms around her best friend.

"God, we were all so worried! Never disappear like that again, okay? If you need to get away from Damon or anyone else, just let me know; we'll be gone before they can blink."

Caroline felt Elena smile into her shoulder, then nod.

"Will do, Care. But whatever. I'm back now, and I'm ready to party!"

Elena pushed Caroline away, tossing back her drink in one gulp. Caroline grinned, then pointed to the cup.

"Where'd you get that?"

"The cup is from the table on the back patio by the beer keg, but I snatched the good stuff from the cabinets."

Elena raised her other hand to show off a 3-liter bottle of Jack Daniels that Caroline hadn't noticed her holding before. Caroline tried to snatch the bottle from her, but Elena held it just out of reach.

"Nope. Not sharing. You can find your own."

Huffing, Caroline tried to keep a straight face and failed, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile.

"Fine. I have something important to tell you, anyway, and I need to do it now. Right now."

Elena's eyebrows went up, but before she could say anything, Caroline dragged her over to a less populated part of the room.

"I did a bad thing."

Elena's mouth quirked up in mock sympathy.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

Frustration started to bubble up in Caroline, and her voice started getting louder.

"You don't even know what it is."

Elena let out a breath, clearly not interested in the conversation. Now, Caroline was just straight up pissed.

"Elena, listen! This is really important!"

The brunette's lips pressed together as she composed herself, then sighed.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Tell me; what happened?"

Caroline took a breath, readying herself for the conversation. It was now or never.

"What would you say if I told you that when a certain awful person was in town, I ran into him in the woods, and sort of... kissed him?"

Elena closed her eyes, readjusting her stance. Her mind was obviously elsewhere, but Caroline had to get this out. So Elena could pretend to care for just a few more seconds.

"He was there, and he obviously wanted to kiss me, so I thought, 'Oh, we'll just make out!'"

Caroline took a breath, hearing how loud and frantic she was becoming. A few people standing around them glanced in their direction, but Caroline quieted her voice again, ignoring them.

"But then, it felt... really... good to kiss him, so then I kind of... totally... had sex with him."

Elena's eyebrows shot up, and Caroline knew that she finally had her best friend's attention. Her inner mind cheered for her.

"But I swear I didn't plan to do it, and now I feel... terrible."

Caroline dropped her hands back to her sides, having been making all sorts of gesticulations. Elena shuffled again, attention still clearly enraptured.

"And the person we're talking about is...?"

There it was. The bombshell question. Caroline tensed up, then took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

"...Klaus?"

It came out more like a question than a statement, but it would have to do. Elena's expression of interest turned to one of complete and total shock, and Caroline couldn't blame her.

"Oh, wow! That's, uh, that-that-

Caroline sighed, pushing a lock of hair back from her face. At least Elena knew now.

"Wow, really?"

Frustration threatened to overtake Caroline again. She was becoming frantic, careless. She hadn't seen Tyler yet, or anyone else she knew, for that matter, but she couldn't help but feel that any one of them was lurking just around the corner. And this was not something she wanted anyone to overhear.

"Would I make something like this up? And that is why I need you to tell me what an... awful person I am."

Caroline jerked her hand at her side, curling it into a fist. Elena took a deep breath, her eyebrows going even closer to her hairline.

"Actually, you're one of the least... awful people I know."

Frowning, Caroline tilted her head, giving Elena a look that said, 'that wasn't the answer I was going for'. The blonde looked down at her feet, inhaling through her nose and blowing the breath out through her mouth.

"...So tell me. How was it?"

Elena finally smiled for the first time since they started this conversation, and Caroline relaxed. She wasn't angry.

"You know, compared to Tyler."

Now that the worst of it was out of the way, Caroline could finally relax and laugh with her best friend. So she did just that. Caroline shook her head, laughing.

"Elena Gilbert!"

"Caroline Forbes! Come on, spill the beans!"

"I am-"

Caroline didn't even know how she was going to finish that sentence, so she didn't. Elena's grin widened, and she punched Caroline teasingly.

"Now that you've slept with Klaus, I mean... How was it?"

Caroline's mouth dropped open, and she shook her head for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"I am so not answering that."

"Oh, you so are!"

Elena's eyes focused on something over Caroline's shoulder, and the smile dropped off of her face.

"Oh my God."

Caroline turned around, suddenly concerned. The moment that she did, her eyes locked with Tyler's, and even from across the room, she could tell that he had heard everything. And that he was fuming. She couldn't move, and their gaze stayed locked together even as Tyler walked down the stairs. It was like she couldn't breathe.

Then, he turned and rushed away. Caroline gulped, her mouth still hanging open in shock. Had Elena seen him there? No, she wouldn't have done something like that.

...Would she have?

* * *

Caroline already knew where Tyler went, so she set out after him, determined to make him hear her side of the story. Really, it wasn't any better than what he had just heard, but she might as well tell him herself instead of subjecting him to only hearing it second hand.

She entered the study to find his back to her, but she knew that he had heard her walk into the room. Her suspicions were confirmed when he spoke.

"Get out."

Caroline relaxed her muscles, trying to stay calm. Someone had to be in this situation, and she knew that it wasn't going to be Tyler.

"Just let me explain."

"No, let me."

Tyler's head bobbed up, and he shook it slightly. She could only picture what his expression his face must hold. Disappointment. Anger. Angst. Loss.

"Klaus killed _thousands _of people: Elena's aunt, an entire pack of hybrids, _my_friends."

His hoarse, rage-filled voice buried itself like a knife in Caroline's heart. She could hear his pain, but as selfish as it was, she didn't feel guilty anymore. They were broken up. Sure, she could've chosen someone better to sleep with, but that was all it was.

Maybe she wanted more, but she knew where she stood. And she knew better than to test those boundaries, because breaking them would cause even more people pain. And she didn't want that.

Tyler turning around broke Caroline from her thoughts. She stayed perfectly still, her eyes flitting to the glass of whiskey in his hand. Was he already drunk? She wasn't sure. It had been less than five minutes since he took off away from her. Could he really drink that quickly?

In his current state, maybe.

"Caroline."

Tyler placed his hands on the table, supporting himself. His face held an emotion she coudn't even describe.

"He killed my mom!"

The glass shattered in Tyler's grip, and Caroline flinched. Right, so angry. Very, very angry.

Tyler's breathing was ragged, and he stared daggers at her, chest heaving. The hand that held the glass was still tense and unclenched, with glass embedded into his flesh.

"I know, I know."

Caroline kept her voice quiet, slowly walking towards him. He was a ticking time bomb, and she didn't want to know what could happen when he exploded.

"I'm so _sorry_."

"Just stop."

The force behind Tyler's tone was enough to halt Caroline in her tracks. He held his hand up, as if his words weren't enough to stop her from coming closer. She sighed, her chin held high. Whatever words he wanted to throw at her, she would take them. She deserved them.

"I walked out last time. Now it's your turn. Go."

Caroline shook her head, but Tyler nodded towards the door, unrelenting. She was determined to stand her ground, though, so she just shook her head again.

"No."

She tried to approach him again, quicker this time, but he backed away from her, holding his hand up as if to shield himself from her mere presence.

"Don't take another step, Caroline!"

"If you would just-"

"I said _leave_!"

Finally, Tyler snapped, his last word coming out as a growl and his eyes flashing gold. Caroline backed away, her hands held to her head. It always terrified her when he wolfed out, but he knew that. And that was why he did it.

Before Caroline could react any more, a new presence appeared between her and Tyler: a head of wavy blonde hair and a scarlet party dress.

"...Olivia?"

The figure didn't turn around, but Caroline knew it was the witch that Bonnie had just introduced her to that morning. Tyler's expression morphed into confusion, and his face went back to normal.

"Who the hell are you? This isn't your business."

"Except it is. You will not harm Caroline Forbes, not on my watch. My coven sent me to protect her, and that is exactly what I am going to do. So back. away."

"What coven? Why Caroline?"

Olivia raised her arm, holding her palm out towards Tyler. Caroline didn't dare to move from behind her. Obviously, she knew what she was doing.

"I see no reason to answer the questions of someone who is soon to be a spot on the wall if they don't do what I told them to. Now get out!"

Olivia snarled the last word, and Tyler actually flinched back. He gave Caroline one last spiteful glance before walking out of the room, closing the door behind him. The second that he left, Caroline sank to her knees, her whole body shaking. Olivia turned around, kneeling beside Caroline.

"Are you okay, Caroline? He didn't do anything to you before I got here, did he? I'm so sorry; I had to get away from Bonnie to get here. She was chatting with Elena the last time I saw her, down in the dining room. She wouldn't detach from my side. She wanted to introduce me to _everyone_."

Olivia rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face. Obviously, whoever this witch was, she honestly did like being friends with Bonnie.

"Who are you, really?"

Sighing, Olivia offered Caroline a hand up, and the two girls stood up.

"That... is a long story. And one that involves a lot of other stories. Including the story of your mysterious illness."

Caroline went still, her eyes wide.

"You know what's causing it?"

"Yes. But this might take a while, and any vampire walking by could overhear. Are you okay with that?"

Caroline nodded distractedly. Olivia knew what it was, but Bonnie didn't? How? The witch guided Caroline over to the couch, and the two of them sat down. Olivia leaned in close, trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible.

"My name is Olivia Parker, but you can call me Liv, like almost everyone else. I'm a witch of the Gemini Coven. We are a powerful coven of witches comprised entirely of twins. I'm just the one they send on small missions they think are easy enough for me not to mess up. I'm actually really surprised that they trusted me with something this important."

Caroline's brow furrowed, and she held up a hand for Liv to stop.

"Why am I so important to the Gemini Coven?"

Liv pressed her lips together, seemingly trying to organize her thoughts.

"...That's the part where you learn what's causing your illness. You know that Hayley Marshall is dead, and that she was pregnant?"

Caroline nodded, and Liv continued.

"Well, tribrids like she was pregnant with are of exceptional rarity. So when we learned of Hayley's pregnancy, we knew that we had to protect her until she gave birth. Then Hayley was attacked. We made it in time, thank God, and Elijah begged us to save her. The thing was, we didn't really give a damn about her, and I really don't think that anyone besides Elijah did, either. We just cared about what was inside of her. And as such a powerful coven, we have powerful spells. Forbidden spells that were very useful in that moment. See, one such spell was created specifically to protect witches still in utero. If the mother is inflicted with deadly wounds, but is still alive when we get there, that spell allows us to move the fetuses into someone else. A surrogate, someone heavily connected to either the mother or father. My fellow coven members chose you."

Caroline's hand flew to her mouth. It was like time had stopped.

"...I'm pregnant with Klaus and Hayley's twins? I'm the surrogate for two powerful supernatural creatures?"

"Yes. Two of the most powerful in history, in fact. Tribrids are practically unheard of. As far as I know, these twins are the only ones created to be so at birth."

Caroline's head was spinning. So many thoughts were spiraling through it, and it couldn't just focus on one. Klaus. Tyler. The baby. Her. Liv. The Gemini Coven. Hayley. Klaus's family. Her family. Her friends.

"Caroline?"

Caroline looked up to find Liv looking at her with concern, a hand on her knee. Shaking her head, Caroline looked up at Liv with a confused expression.

"Why me? Out of all the people connected to Hayley and Klaus, why me? There must've been so many people who would've been better."

Liv frowned.

"Actually, no. The first time that Klaus found out about the child from the New Orleans witches, he didn't want it. He told them to kill her if they wanted because she wasn't his problem. We think he's grown more attached to the idea of being a parent since then, but thinking he lost that child... my fellow coven members thought it would be best to move the twins into someone he wouldn't want to be killed. Someone that he loves, that he would protect no matter what the odds. You can imagine that list is rather small, outside of his family."

Caroline gave a dry laugh, nodding. Klaus didn't tend to open his heart easily. Not for anyone besides her, anyway. And even that took some work on her part, just to get to the state of hesitant friendship that they were at now.

"So we chose you. Because out of the last 1,000 years, Niklaus Mikaelson has only ever loved two people: you and another vampire named Aurora de Martel. The problem with using Aurora would've been that we have no idea how Klaus feels about her now, after almost 1,000 years of moving on. He obviously still loves you, though."

Liv quirked an eyebrow up, smirking at Caroline. The vampire looked away, face hot. How did she even know about that? How much had she been listening in on since Caroline arrived at the party?

"Okay, so I was the best option. And you all just decided that uprooting me from my life and not telling me would be the best option? How's that fair?"

Caroline couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. She winced at Liv's indignant expression. She honestly wasn't sure why she was taking her frustration out on her when she was the one who chose to tell Caroline in the first place. The coven probably hadn't wanted her to until they thought she should know.

"Sorry. I'm just a little... on edge. I'm still processing everything."

Liv's expression melted back to calm, and she nodded in understanding, stroking Caroline's knee lightly with her thumb.

"I get it, sweetie. I'd be a little freaked, too. Take your time. We have all night."

Something about that word, 'night', pulled at Caroline's memory. Then, she gasped.

"What?"

"Rebekah. Oh my God, she's stopping by before she goes back to New Orleans. She should know. I should go back with her."

Liv raised her eyebrows, pulling her hand off of Caroline's knee.

"Are you sure that's the best idea? Hayley was _just _murdered in New Orleans. As much as Klaus didn't care about what happened to her, that's bound to have caused a reason for him to tear the city apart to find her killer. It could be a little bit... intense in the city."

Caroline cringed, wrapping her arms around herself, then shaking her head.

"I'm not sure. But she thinks that her only chance at a new member of her family is dead, and I know how much she wanted that. She loves too much, gets too attached, but so do I. So I guess, on some level, I understand her. So I have to at least tell her, even if I don't go with."

Liv sighed, then stood up.

"Then I suppose we should leave before she does. This party isn't very exciting anymore, anyway. Not that it was to begin with."

Liv walked towards the door, but stopped halfway there, turning back to Caroline.

"Oh, I'm guessing you don't want me to take down the cloaking spell until you're on your way out? Because when I do, it'll only take a few hours for your body to catch up to looking four months pregnant. And since your friends don't know..."

"God, yes. Please wait until then."

Liv laughed, then nodded and kept walking towards the door. Caroline followed right behind her, still trying to process everything.

She was carrying Klaus and Hayley's daughteer. But Hayley was dead, and this child had no mother. Sure, she craved to go back to college and keep on with the life she had planned, the life she had preached to Klaus only a few days ago. But she... she wasn't sure about much of anything anymore. For the next almost five months, there would be a living being growing inside of her. Sure, the child wasn't hers, but she had an inkling she would be fairly attached to her by the time she gave birth to her. And that possibility of an attachment growing was already stuck in her brain.

Maybe she wanted to get attached. Maybe that would make things easier. Certainly not in terms of her friends and family, or even her life as she knew it, but in terms of Klaus.

...Could she be that selfish, just this once?

* * *

AN: Okay, so... I think this chapter will be the last with canon dialogue. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. Sorry, I would've posted this earlier today, but I just got back to college after spring break a couple of hours ago, and I had to unpack my stuff. Then I had to double check my grammar and mechanics and do a few quick rewrites, just for taste. But I did still get it published on schedule! Yay me! (This is why I always need at least one chapter on reserve... I knocked out four chapters in the first two days of writing this, but now I need to go back and rewrite some things and finish the fourth chapter.)

Also, I did actually start watching _The Originals_ earlier today. I'm hoping to catch up to the start of this story by the time I post the next chapter (because I want to get all of my ducks in a row before Klaus and the others come into play), so fingers crossed I can get those 12 episodes watched in the next two weeks and still have enough time for both those rewrites and my college classwork. Hopefully...

Anyway, thanks for reading! See you again in two weeks!


	4. Good Company

New AN: Okay, so I decided while I was writing this chapter that I am tweaking a few things that happened just before my story starts in canon time. A, Sabine/Celeste is not a thing. It's just Sabine, because that side plot is way too far off track for me and I want my story to focus where it should be: on Klaus and Caroline. B, that means that Celeste never messed up the Harvest ritual, but instead of bringing all of the girls back, it only brought Davina back. This is due to the magic of the other three witches flowing into her when she escaped the ritual, then living with it inside of her for so long. Ergo, Davina's magic is still just as powerful as it was before she completed the ritual, but her death balanced it enough that she has much more control over it. C, because I have no idea how to work that in, Kol's staying dead. I'm sad, Davina's sad, we're all sad. But whatever. He'll probably just be resurrected off page or something later on. XD That's all I'm planning on changing for now, but who knows?

* * *

The first thing that Caroline noticed walking up to her house was that the front door was wide open. She shared a glance with Liv, immediately knowing that Rebekah was either still inside or had just left.

"Rebekah."

Caroline barely spoke above normal volume, but she knew that with Rebekah's elevated hearing, if she was still inside the house, she would hear. Sure enough, the Original vampire stood in the front doorway only seconds later, eyebrow raised.

"Great. You're up and about. I'll tell my brother that you're fine now, then."

Rebekah used her vampiric speed to run away, but Caroline caught her arm on her way past, stopping her in her tracks.

"Except I'm not."

Scoffing, Rebekah turned her head to look at Caroline, eyes narrowed.

"You act as if I actually care. As long as you're up and walking, that's good enough for me, and I'm guessing it'll be good enough for Nik, too. Now if you'll excuse me."

Rebekah ripped her arm from Caroline's grip, but before she could run again, Caroline blurted out, "You're still gonna be an aunt, Rebekah."

The older vampire froze, slowly turning back to Caroline. Her expression was calm, but there was an intensity in her eyes that Caroline had never seen before. She looked like she was on the border of either ripping Caroline's head off or threatening her for information. Neither of which Caroline wanted to be a part of.

"What?"

"The coven didn't want to save Hayley. They never had any intention of saving Hayley. They only wanted to save your niece."

Despite her obvious efforts to stay impassive, a helpless squeak sounded from Rebekah's throat. She raised her hands to her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes. Caroline had never seen Rebekah this vulnerable, and she wasn't sure that she ever would again.

"She's still alive? How?"

It was at this point that Liv cleared her throat, and both vampires turned to look at her. Rebekah's eyes narrowed in recognition. It would've been more threatening if there weren't tears sliding down her face. Or maybe that made it more so.

"You. You were one of the witches in that coven."

"Yes. My name is Olivia, and the coven tasked me with protecting Klaus's child. The spell that the coven used to save her requires that she be moved into a surrogate, someone close to either the father or mother. My coven chose Caroline, and veiled the pregnancy with a cloaking spell. But the cloaking spell wasn't strong enough to hide the existence of a tribrid, hence Caroline's symptoms. She's even more powerful than we ever could've imagined."

Rebekah's eyes slid to Caroline, who nodded silently. Rebekah let out a long breath, her eyes flitting down to Caroline's stomach.

"You're... carrying my niece?"

"Yeah. I thought you should know before you left for New Orleans again. If it were me, I'd want to know."

Stammering, Rebekah shook her head. Out of nowhere, she enveloped Caroline in a hug. Startled, Caroline froze as Rebekah cried into her shoulder, shaking.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

As if realizing how weird this was for both of them, Rebekah stilled and pulled away from Caroline, wiping her eyes. She cleared her throat and turned back around, walking down the sidewalk.

"Well, if you're coming with, then let's go. I have a tight schedule."

Caroline shook her head, waving her hands in the air.

"Woah, woah, woah. Who said I'm coming with? No offense, but you and your family aren't exactly that fond of me. And from what I've heard from Liv, New Orleans isn't the ideal place to be right now. Not with Hayley's unidentified killer on the loose."

Sighing, Rebekah popped open the trunk of the car parked along the curb, a middle-aged man sitting behind the wheel. She shuffled some things around, then glanced up at Liv.

"Witch, go get Caroline's luggage from her bedroom. It's still all packed from when she was leaving for Whitmore. Double time, please."

Liv scoffed, but started briskly walking up to the house anyway. Caroline just raised her eyebrows.

"Firstly, it doesn't matter whether or not we like you. You're carrying a member of our family, so like it or not, you're coming with. Secondly, I don't give a damn about who killed the baby mama if the baby's still alive, and I'm guessing Nik won't, either. Will Elijah still want to hunt them down to the ends of the earth when he finds out that Nik won't anymore? Probably. But if it does end up turning sour, you can just hide out in our house. Nik and I will protect you, no matter what it takes. I refuse to lose my niece again. Besides, us girls have to stick together, right?"

Making a noise of agreement, Caroline turned to watch as Liv exited the front of the house, Caroline's luggage in hand. Caroline rushed over to help her, whooshing back over to the car to load her belongings in the trunk. She slammed it shut once everything was loaded in, then glanced over at Rebekah.

"We're seriously driving? 14 hours?"

Rebekah slid into the back seat on the driver's side, scoffing.

"Trust me, I'm not to keen to spend 14 hours trapped in here with you, either. You might be my favorite out of your friends-well, besides Matt, that is-but that doesn't mean you're my first choice of people to carpool with. But I guess we'll both just have to suffer."

"I'm your favorite? Like I'll believe that. Do you not recall the Decade Dance?"

Rebekah threw her hands up in the air. Evidently, that rather valid question tested her patience.

"I have control issues. So do you. Of course we'd butt heads. But in this case, we have a mutual interest, and not very much to argue about. Except for you to get in the bloody car."

Caroline reluctantly opened the back passenger door, but Liv grabbed her hand before she could get in.

"I can't come with you, but I'm sure the Mikaelson's will protect you with their lives. Well, most of them, at least. Just please stay safe. The coven will have my head if you don't."

Caroline laughed, shaking her head. Of course Liv was only concerned about herself. Smirking, Caroline patted her hand.

"I'll stay perfectly safe, Liv. No worries. Just... Don't tell the others where I've gone, okay? I'll text them every day and call them as often as I can. You don't need to worry about making up a story, that'll be my part."

Liv nodded, then placed her hands on Caroline's stomach.

"Since I'm not going, I should take the cloaking spell down. This might be a bit uncomfortable for a while, but not too painful. Just do try to keep in mind that your body is trying to adjust itself to stretch to four months pregnant in a few hours."

Nodding, Caroline rested her hand on the top of the car, steadying herself. Liv closed her eyes, then started chanting in Latin. After about a minute, she stopped, opening her eyes again. They were wider than before, and her eyebrows were raised in surprise. Caroline frowned.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Liv didn't respond, opting instead to simply stare at Caroline's stomach. The vampire waved her hand in front of Liv's face, which seemed to finally stir her from her shock.

"Twins. It's not one child... it's two."

"What?"

Both Rebekah and Caroline spoke at the same time, and Caroline glanced back to look at the other vampire. Rebekah's mouth was open as far as her jaw would allow, her eyes demanding answers from Liv. Caroline turned back, wanting those same answers for herself.

"I-I don't understand. I thought Hayley was only pregnant with one child. Unless..."

Liv's eyes flitted up to Caroline's, and her previously shocked expression mellowed out again.

"Unless what?"

Caroline was practically hysterical at this point. Now she was carrying a baby that no one thought existed, too?

"Nothing. Nothing important, anyway. I was just thinking that maybe the New Orleans witch who performed the spell to identify Hayley's pregnancy shouldn't have. Maybe she was too inexperienced. Maybe there have always been two babies and they were just wrong."

"But then I should've heard a second heartbeat!"

Liv flinched at Rebekah's snapping, and glanced back at the Original vampire.

"I can't explain it. Magic and the supernatural in general is weird sometimes. Even just the one child was a miracle; the second one is just more proof that the impossible exists."

"So is it another girl?"

Liv nodded, her eyes narrowing as she returned to staring at Caroline's stomach. It made Caroline a little bit uncomfortable, but she wasn't going to ask her to stop. Not after that bombshell she'd just dropped on her.

"Yes, I believe so. I can't be sure, but when I sensed the second presence, that's what it felt like. The two genders have a slightly different... aura, for lack of a better word, and this one seems to be very similar to the other. So most likely a girl."

"When will my body start growing, then?"

"Any moment, probably. You'll feel it."

Sure enough, only a moment after Liv said it, Caroline's stomach ached slightly. Her hand flew to flatten against it, and she could feel her skin almost... rippling underneath the fabric of her dress.

"You shouldn't have any symptoms from the first three months, so don't worry about that. Just relax, take care of yourself, and don't let the Mikaelson's give you too much crap."

Laughing, Caroline squeezed Liv's shoulder lightly and dropped into the car, shutting the door behind her. They pulled away from the curb, and Rebekah immediately turned to Caroline.

"First rule: don't wander off anywhere without being accompanied by me or one of my siblings. Second rule: keep a balanced diet, not just animal blood. Third rule: don't you dare let any harm come to my nieces. Fourth rule: speak up if there is anything at all that you need. I may not be your biggest fan, but right now, I care more about you than I do myself. Understand?"

Frowning slightly, Caroline nodded. Her hand was still on her stomach, and she wasn't sure she would move it for a while. The feeling was weird, but intriguing. As with most of the things about the situation.

"Before Liv told me the truth about my condition, she hinted at me to consume both blood and a regular human diet. That seemed to help, so since I'm assuming there's no human food at the Mikaelson residence, we'll need to go grocery shopping."

Rebekah waved her off, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"I'll text the head of staff and tell her to send someone out. We had some food for Hayley, but I think that Nik already got rid of that. Besides, there's no point in taking time to do something we don't have to. Besides, we should tell my siblings as soon as possible. They still think Hayley's child is dead."

A frown settled on Rebekah's face, and she stopped typing for a moment.

"We really should have heard two heartbeats. Why did we only hear one, if there are two babies?"

She looked over at Caroline, as if she expected the younger vampire to have an answer. Caroline only shrugged, shaking her head.

"I have no idea. I don't know how this works. I think you're forgetting that, since becoming a vampire, I've been around, oh, _zero _pregnant women?"

Rebekah pressed her lips together, considering that thought as she finished texting the head of staff. Caroline settled into a more comfortable position in the seat, crossing her legs and resting her head against the chilled window. Rebekah slid her phone back into her pocket, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. It only took a few minutes for Caroline's eyes to drift closed, her hand relaxing on her stomach.

* * *

It wasn't the road noise, her own inner timer, or Rebekah that woke Caroline after just shy of half of the car ride. No, it was the sensation of a light tap against her stomach. Her eyes shot open, her hand tensing on her now well-swollen midsection. She glanced down at it with awe in her expression, her breathing shallow.

Rebekah glanced over at her, having been staring out of the window. Her brow furrowed at Caroline's body language.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I think... one of them just kicked."

Rebekah's concerned expression quickly turned to one of utter joy, and she reached her hand out without thinking. Then she flinched back, unsure.

Caroline rolled her eyes at the Original vampire's hesitant actions, grabbing her hand herself and placing it on her stomach. It was another few minutes of patient silence before Rebekah gasped quietly, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh my God. I felt it. I didn't think other people were supposed to be able to feel babies kick for a few more weeks."

A disbelieving laugh pushed past Rebekah's lips, and she drew her hand away from Caroline's stomach, staring at her palm in wonder before looking back up at Caroline. The younger blonde raised her eyebrows, humor dancing across her expression. Apparently Rebekah had done her research.

"...Is it weird if I say I don't think I've ever been this happy? And don't you dare tell anyone I said that, or you'll have hell to pay."

Caroline shook her head, her fingers drifting absentmindedly over her stomach.

"No, I get it. I'm not related to them in any way, and yet... there's this mixture of elation and pride."

The girls fell silent again for a moment before Rebekah spoke again, a sly grin on her face.

"You know, this is a perfect reason for Nik to keep you around. Hayley's dead. These girls are going to need a mother, and you're the closest thing they've got. I mean, I'm not going to force you to stay in New Orleans, but... I think we all would appreciate it. Myself, the girls, and Nik especially. You make him... better."

Rebekah sighed, threading her fingers together on her lap. She refused to meet Caroline's eyes, even though Caroline was sure she could feel her staring.

"I thought my brother had lost the last shred of his humanity until he met you. Then he suddenly wouldn't shut up about you. Caroline this and Caroline that, showering you in gifts and adoration I never found myself on the receiving end of. At first, I envied you. My brother never loved me enough to give me any of that. But then I realized that, if you stayed around, Nik could, no, _would _change. He started to become selfless, and even if that was only for you, it was more than I'd seen in the last thousand years."

Caroline stayed silent, even after Rebekah finished talking. For the longest time, she didn't want to believe that Klaus could change, even for her. She didn't believe he loved her enough. But then she started noticing changes in his behavior. He was still vicious and evil, but when he was around her, when she asked him for a favor, he was... different.

Maybe she really did make him better, like Rebekah thought.

"Regardless, I'm sure Nik will be more than happy to see you. He's been moody ever since Hayley died. Not that I've talked to him in person. Just over the phone. But I can tell when my brother sounds moody."

Caroline laughed through her nose, nodding. Now that she could understand.

Out of nowhere, Caroline's vision went hazy. She snapped her eyes closed, recognizing the dizziness from the last couple of days. Taking deep breaths, Caroline spoke up.

"Rebekah? I think they're hungry again. Human food, I mean. At least I think so."

Caroline opened her eyes, still feeling a little bit woozy. Rebekah nodded once, then tapped the driver on the shoulder.

"Pull over in the next town, Liam. We're going to stop for some food for Caroline."

The driver nodded, then pulled off on the next exit. They drove through a rather small town, stopping downtown in front of a tiny, very obviously family-owned restaurant. Rebekah got out of the car first, Caroline opening the door to step out herself. The second that she did, thought, her head swam, and she swayed in place. Rebekah was at her side in an instant, steadying her.

"Easy, Caroline. Let me help you."

Rebekah placed her hand on Caroline's side farthest from her, then held Caroline's arm closest to her in her hand, guiding her up to the restaurant.

"I'm fine, Rebekah. You don't need to act like I'm going to collapse out of nowhere."

Rebekah gave Caroline a brief glare before opening the door and leading her inside, only letting go of her for a brief second.

"That is actually a serious possibility. Now shut up and let me help you."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline let Rebekah guide her to a booth right next to the door. The Original made sure that Caroline was well situated before sitting down herself and flagging down a waitress. Caroline wasn't sure whether or not she liked the sudden 'mother hen' aspect Rebekah had to her.

"Welcome! My name is Penny, and I'll be your server this evening."

The redhead placed a glass of water in front of each of the girls before handing them each a menu.

"Can I get you anything other than water to start off with?"

Before Caroline could even open her mouth, Rebekah was already responding with, "A glass of milk for her, please." Caroline frowned at Rebekah, who didn't even blink under her stare.

"I want my nieces to be as healthy as possible. So you are drinking it whether you want to or not."

Penny smiled softly at the pair before rushing off to help another table. Caroline opened her menu, tapping her foot on the ground absentmindedly. She was a lot more fidgety now than she was before.

Penny returned with a glass of milk and an expectant look before Caroline had even begun to decide what she wanted. However, Rebekah snatched the menu out of her hand and handed them both back to the waitress with a smirk.

"I'll take a steak, extra rare, with a side garden salad. She'll have spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and a slice of cheesecake. Oh, and one more thing."

Rebekah grabbed Penny's wrist, pulling her in closer. Caroline sighed, resting her arms on the table. Rebekah and her compulsion...

"Tell whoever you need to what our orders are, then go into a secluded place with one of those red opaque glasses, cut your wrist, and fill that glass until you feel weak. Then bring it back to us without a word to anyone else, and forget you ever did it. Go."

Rebekah let go of Penny's wrist, and she stumbled slightly before nodding, a faraway look in her eyes. She walked away, and Caroline took a sip of her milk, frowning heavily at Rebekah.

"You didn't have to do that."

"Please. You're hardly in any shape to be hunting right now, and I want you well fed. This was the best option. Now drink your milk and wait patiently."

Caroline didn't like it, but she supposed there was nothing to fight against anymore. So she just sat silently, drinking her milk and staring at the tabletop. She polished off the entire glass by the time Penny returned with the glass of fresh blood, garden salad, and garlic bread. She set them on the table, then blinked a few times before smiling at them and heading off to another table.

"See? No harm done, and now you'll be in better condition. So drink up."

Rolling her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Caroline took a gulp of the blood, licking her lips before lowering the glass from her mouth. The last thing she needed was someone noticing her weirdly colored beverage.

"We're just over halfway to New Orleans, so we should get there around 8 tomorrow morning. I haven't told any of them I'm bringing you with, so you'll have to figure out what you're telling them, truth or not. Truth would be preferable, though."

"I was planning on telling them the truth, Rebekah. I don't have any reason to hide it, and I don't really think that I could even if I wanted to."

Caroline gestured to her swollen stomach. Rebekah nodded her head in agreement, then started in on her salad. Caroline took a bite of the garlic bread, relishing the crunchy-yet-buttery taste in her mouth.

"How did the others react to Hayley being pregnant?"

Rebekah frowned slightly, swallowing her bite of salad before she spoke.

"Elijah was happy about it, though not quite as much as myself. We both have always wanted to extend our family, and this was a blessing in disguise for us. Nik... well, he was indifferent at first, too. He told the New Orleans witches that told him about the pregnancy to kill Hayley if they wanted. But over the months, I think he'd grown to care for the idea of being a parent. Not that he would show it outwardly, of course. But there were the little things I noticed: the way he would look at Hayley when she told us something new and exciting about her pregnancy, the way he would get lost in thought whenever the child was brought up in conversation, the way his eyes would catch on her stomach every time she walked into the room..."

Rebekah trailed off, her expression clouding over. She took a sip of water, shaking her head.

"The way he reacted when Hayley died. The way that I could feel his rage at the witches who failed to save her, even through the phone. The witches who never really cared to save her, I suppose. I'm not sure about much after that. Nik went back to New Orleans, and I haven't heard from Elijah. I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Caroline didn't say anything, just continued to munch away on her garlic bread until it was gone, alternating with small sips of blood. Penny came and left with their main courses and dessert, then dropped their bill off on her way past. The girls finished eating in silence, and Rebekah set a few 20s on top of the bill before standing up to leave. Caroline didn't argue this time when she helped her out of the restaurant, Penny bidding them farewell on their way out.

Rebekah helped Caroline into the car, got in herself, and they were off for New Orleans once again. Caroline stared out of the window for a few moments before starting up a new conversation.

"Rebekah?"

"Yes?"

"It's maybe a little bit redundant-after all, I don't plan on staying after these twins are born-but if I did stay, do you think I'd be good at it? Being a parent, I mean."

There was a moment of silence before Rebekah responded.

"Yes."

Her answer was more firm than Caroline was expecting, and she turned to look at the older girl, who was already looking over at her.

"I think you'd be great at it. Certainly better than my brother, at the least. Although that isn't saying much."

Rebekah laughed quietly, shaking her head slightly.

"You'll probably have to foot both parent roles, mother and father. Heaven knows Nik will be a fairly shitty father. He'll try, try to be better than Mikael, but he won't get far. It isn't in his blood. And if he manages to be good at it, it'll only be because of you. Keep that in mind."

Nodding, Caroline stared out of the window, watching next town pass by just off of the highway. She knew all too well that the only good things Klaus ever did were for her, no one else.

"...I love Nik more than anyone else in this world, despite all that he has done to hurt me. And I know that he has hurt you, too. But I am begging you, Caroline, please don't hurt him. I am trusting him to you, and I don't want to regret that trust. Don't make me regret it."

Caroline looked back at Rebekah, who was looking at her with steady determination. Hesitating, Caroline played with the hem of her shirt, looking down at her hands.

"I... can't promise that, Rebekah. But I do promise that no matter what happens, I will try my hardest not to make you regret your trust in me. That's all I can give you, though."

Out of the corner of her eye, Caroline saw Rebekah nod slowly, then pull out her phone and direct her attention to that.

"They've returned with the groceries. A fully stocked fridge of both food and blood bags, since I know you prefer those, for whatever asinine reason, and a fully stocked pantry. They had to go out of town for the blood bags so that Marcel wouldn't find out, since he and Nik are still in a bit of a power play over the city. I'll dagger him myself if you end up caught up in that in any way..."

Caroline nodded absentmindedly, drawing invisible shapes across the window with her finger. From the little amount she had heard about Marcel, she figured that him being dethroned from New Orleans would be a good thing, even if that did mean that the throne went to Klaus.

After all, better the devil you know...

* * *

AN: Heeeyyyy…. So, remember how I said I would watch The Originals? Yeah, that never happened. I didn't have time. Whoops. I barely had time to just publish this. There are a million school things I should be doing right now, but whatever. I swore I would publish every other Sunday (skipping holidays, which is why I didn't publish last weekend), and I'm sticking to that.

Thanks for reading and favoriting and following! I never thought that I would get this many followers. This is crazy! Heaps of gratitude~

I don't think there's anything else I need to say, so…

Bye~!


	5. If You Can't Beat Them

**NEW AN: Ha. Ha. Haha. Ha... Remember when I said that I would post this chapter two weeks ago, and post Chapter 5 that same week? Welp. But on the bright side, I have my MTLE tomorrow, and after that it's just working maybe 20 hours a week and planning for college for a straight month. Which means hopefully a lot less writer's block and a lot more writing. I SWEAR that Chapter 5 will be up next Sunday. I don't even care that it's off schedule. I'll start the two week regular updates out from there again, and hopefully stockpile a few chapters for the school year. Fingers crossed, guys!**

* * *

Caroline wasn't sure what she expected when they pulled up outside of Mikaelson Mansion. But somehow, it looked exactly like what she thought it would: a stately house with all white features and huge columns in the front, and a roundabout driveway with a patch of grass in the middle.

Caroline almost felt like she didn't want to go inside, like she would feel too out of place to stay. Sure, Tyler's family had a large house too, but nothing like this, and certainly not as old and elegant. But then Rebekah opened her door, and Caroline snapped back to the real world. The one where two tribrids were growing inside of her.

Caroline took Rebekah's hand, and the latter hooked their arms through each other before letting go. Stepping out of the car, Caroline nodded politely at the three young vampires who appeared from out of nowhere to grab her luggage. She raised an eyebrow at Rebekah.

"What? We have some of our lot hanging around to help sometimes. The staff is mostly humans who are compelled to forget what they do during the day the moment that they step off of the grounds, but we have a few select young vampires we keep around."

Rebekah spoke quietly, not sure if the brothers were out of hearing range. Neither of them wanted to chance it, not before Caroline could collect herself enough to tell them about the twins. Rebekah patted her arm in comfort before leading the two of them up to the front door and opening it.

The second that Caroline walked inside, she could immediately tell just how old this place was. The styling was classic and elegant, but the house itself had obviously gone through more than a few updates throughout the years.

"Nik? Where are you? There's a guest here to see you."

Rebekah barely raised her voice, but Caroline knew that her brother would still hear her if he were in the house. She could hear several pairs of footsteps around the property, but all of those bore the telltale clicks of heels that came with female staff. Guiding Caroline over to the living room, Rebekah let her sit down before glancing around, listening for her brother's heavy footfalls. She heard them approaching from the second floor, and squeezed Caroline's shoulder once.

"Good luck, sweets. You'll need it."

Caroline opened her mouth to protest Rebekah's departure, but the older vampire disappeared into another area of the house before she could even get a single word out. Cursing her silently, Caroline hastily grabbed a pillow from the couch, using it to cover her stomach. You couldn't even tell, then. She watched as Rebekah's three vampires set her luggage by the front door, then nodded at her and left. And suddenly, she was on her own with an approaching Klaus and a pair of twins growing inside of her.

His steps were close enough now that Caroline could hear them, even over the nervous pounding of her heart. She made sure the pillow was covering her stomach as much as possible, taking deep breaths.

Then he was there. Coming down the stairs in plain sight, eyes looking down. He hadn't noticed Caroline yet.

"Hi, Klaus."

Her voice was quiet, but it was certainly loud enough for him to hear. His head snapped up, his eyes going wide when he caught sight of her. But as quickly as it came, his shocked expression was replaced by raw confidence, by his trademark smirk. Caroline's breath caught in her throat.

Then her phone went off. Klaus just chuckled, walking down the rest of the stairs and approaching her. Grumbling, Caroline slipped her phone out of her pocket, making sure to keep the pillow in place. She unlocked it, frowning at the message on the screen. Elena had texted her, but Caroline hadn't noticed until now that she wasn't the only one. Bonnie, Stefan, and Matt had all texted her within the last few hours. Even Tyler had tried calling her once. Rebekah must've set her phone to silent while she was asleep. Not that she really cared.

"Horrible timing, Elena."

Caroline quickly typed and sent out a one-handed reply-she was safe, she couldn't tell her why she'd left, and she'd call her later-and set her phone down next to her. Klaus was already sitting down in one of the chairs across from her, looking for all it was worth like he owned the place.

...Ignore that last bit.

"What brings you here, love? Don't tell me you already changed your mind about banning me from Mystic Falls? Or that you're finally taking me up on my offer of showing you the world?"

Caroline fidgeted, playing with a loose thread on the pillow. She had to find the right words, so she didn't mess this up.

"...Rebekah told me about Hayley."

_Aaaaaand _she messed it up. No going back now, though. Klaus's smirk dropped from his face, and he nodded once.

"It seems my sister has far too much time on her hands."

"That's not... I didn't want to start with that. Okay, hitting reset now."

Caroline took a deep breath, collecting herself.

"The morning after you came back to Mystic Falls, I woke up with a really bad headache. I had been drinking a _lot _the night before, so I didn't really stop to question it. Except then it got worse the next morning. And the morning after that. And that third day, I passed out halfway down the stairs with my Whitmore luggage. I woke up the next morning, so completely _hungry _in a way that I haven't been since I first turned. I drank blood, but my normal amount didn't seem to be enough. I was weak, my head was pounding, and Stefan called Bonnie to see if it was something supernatural. I downed four blood bags the next morning, and I was still hungry. Bonnie couldn't figure it out. She brought another witch with her, a girl named Liv. Liv told me to eat more, in both senses of the word. That seemed to help. Then I went to a party, got into an argument, and when it was about to turn violent, Liv was suddenly there, protecting me. She said that her coven _assigned _her to protect me, and she wasn't about to let them touch me. Then she sat me down and explained why I'd been feeling like absolute... shit."

Caroline paused, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. This was the hard part. To his credit, Klaus had kept quiet through the whole summary, only raising his eyebrows at her symptoms and clenching his fists at the mention of someone trying to hurt her. Which she appreciated.

"She said that her coven had been protecting a child still in fetus, an exceptionally powerful girl. Then the mother was attacked, and she wouldn't survive. They showed up and performed a spell, an out for the child and _only _the child. Except it turned out that child was actually two children, twins. They transferred them into a surrogate, someone... _close _to the father. Then they left and sent Liv to protect the surrogate. ...To protect _me_."

Caroline met Klaus's eyes again for the first time since starting the crucial part of the story. His eyes were wide, his lips parted in an 'o'. He didn't say anything. So Caroline just bit her lip and slowly moved the pillow from in front of her stomach, setting it back down on the couch. Klaus's eyes flitted down to her swollen stomach, and they only got wider.

"...Klaus? Say something. Please."

His eyes moved back up to hers, noticing the worry clouding them. He stood painstakingly slowly, approaching her as if she were a wild animal about to run for the hills. Which she certainly was not.

Sitting down next to her, Klaus hesitantly reached out for her stomach, placing his hand flat across it. As if they sensed their father's presence, one of the babies decided to kick again. Not a full-fledged kick, just that same light tap from before. A smile spread across Klaus's face, and he met Caroline's eyes.

"You'll have to remind me to thank the witches for choosing you of all people."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline couldn't help the small smile that forced its way onto her face at his words.

"Funny, I was about to say the exact opposite."

Klaus nodded, his genuine smile transforming into a smirk once again.

"Right. You're in college, building a life for yourself. You have plans and a future and things that you want. And I'm assuming that bearing someone else's children was not something that was involved in said things? Especially since they're mine."

Laughing quietly, Caroline shook her head.

"You're impossible, you know that? Quoting my words back at me, as if I didn't already think about that. Of course they weren't involved in _said things_."

Klaus leaned back slightly, raising an eyebrow at Caroline.

"And now that they are?"

Caroline knew what he was insinuating. He was asking her, in a roundabout way, if she was staying. Much less direct than Rebekah, but just as effective. Or maybe moreso, since it was him asking, and she'd just come to terms with how she felt about him.

"Well, I'm obviously staying until they're born. I would be a terrible person if I didn't. But beyond that... I don't know. I have a life back in Mystic Falls. Friends, family. And I get that I'm basically the closest thing that they'll have to a mother, since Hayley's dead, but I just... I don't know."

Caroline ran a hand through her hair, sighing. Klaus grabbed her wrist, gently pulling it out of her curls.

"That's good enough for me, love. A lot can change in four and a half months."

Klaus raised an eyebrow suggestively, resulting in Caroline elbowing him. But she was still smiling.

Their eyes met again, and suddenly it was like she was hypnotized. Now that the stress of telling him was out of the way, it dawned on her that this was the first time they'd seen each other since they'd had sex. The smile slipped from her face, and her lips parted as she let shallow breaths in and out. She couldn't pull her gaze away, and she found herself leaning forward subconsciously, her eyes drifting closed. Klaus's hands came up to rest on her sides, and their breathing intermingled as their lips were almost touching.

Then her phone buzzed again, and Caroline's eyes snapped open. She pulled away, snatching up her phone. This time, it was Rebekah texting her, asking if she could bring Elijah inside yet, as they were camped out by the pool to give the other two privacy. Caroline texted her some variety of 'yes', then all but jumped to her feet. Evidently, she had forgotten what happened the last time she'd tried to stand up on her own suddenly because her head went fuzzy and she stumbled. She would've tripped over the coffee table had Klaus not stood up in an instant, steadying her before she could.

"Are you alright, love?"

"Yeah. Um, Rebekah's wondering if she can bring Elijah back inside yet. I'm not sure if she told him or not, but I guess we'll find out. I should probably grab my luggage, though..."

Caroline started to walk towards her luggage, still sitting by the front door, but Klaus caught her wrist before she could get very far.

"Don't worry about it. I can bring it upstairs to one of the guest rooms if that's alright with you. Promise I won't snoop."

Smirking, Klaus raised his eyebrows. Caroline sighed, then waved her hand in the direction of her luggage and sat back down on the couch. The second that he started going up the stairs with her belongings, she closed her eyes, glad to be alone with her thoughts.

It was different when she thought that she was never going to see him again. She could pretend that it was only a one-time thing, because she was sure it would be, and move on with her life. But now... She couldn't let herself get attached. Because if she did, she would want to stay. If her only question of attachment was to the twins, and she only had to decide whether or not to leave children that weren't even her own, it would be so much more black and white.

So she couldn't get attached to him. Because she'd never been good with muddling through shades of grey.

The back door opened, and Caroline sighed. So much for that peace and quiet that allowed her to actually think. She opened her eyes to Rebekah, Elijah and a young woman who Caroline didn't recognize walking in. Rebekah made an immediate beeline for Caroline, plopping down next to her on the couch.

"Are you feeling okay? Is there anything I can get you? I could have the staff bring in some food or blood bags."

Caroline shook her head, smiling. Maybe Rebekah doting on her was a good thing.

"I'm fine. Thank you though, Rebekah."

Elijah sat down in one of the chairs, leaving Kol and the other woman to glance at each other, then the two empty seats. If it were Caroline, she wouldn't exactly want to take Klaus's spot, either.

"Scoot over."

Huffing, Rebekah slid to the end of the couch, Caroline following suit. The stranger sat down next to Caroline, Kol on her other side. She turned to Caroline, offering her a small smile and a hand held out to shake.

"Davina Claire, witch."

Caroline reached out to shake Davina's hand, and the moment that their hands touched, Davina's mouth fell open in shock. She let out a small gasp, Rebekah to reach past Caroline and place a hand on Davina's knee.

"Davina?"

Davina's eyes didn't move from Caroline's for what seemed like several minutes. Then Davina's hand went limp, and she blinked a few times.

"The Gemini Coven shouldn't interfere where they don't belong. I didn't even realize it was them who... no one told me what the name of the coven was who tried to save her."

Davina's spiteful tone died off, and she looked at Caroline with pity.

"I'm so sorry you got dragged into this, Caroline. It will become a greater challenge than you can even imagine. But you will believe it to be worth it in the end."

The witch's eyes narrowed in thought, and she tilted her head as if analyzing Caroline.

"But you aren't sorry. No matter how bad it gets, you'll never be sorry. Because you chose to be here, and you will always choose to be here. Even when you think you don't want to be."

Davina sighed, shaking her head roughly. Suddenly, she was smiling again, this time rather apologetically.

"Sorry. I'm a powerful witch, but being this powerful comes with... interesting perks. If you could even consider them that."

Her smile brightened, and she clutched Caroline's hands, startling the vampire. Rebekah moved her hand back, evidentally reassured that the witch was fine.

"Thank you, though, for all the decisions you've made since realizing what's happened to you. Telling Rebekah and coming here must've been hard for you, but I'm glad you did. You realize just as much as I do that all three of them deserve this."

"Weirdly enough, I hadn't realized that this was an 'all three of us' thing."

Caroline laughed quietly, glancing up at Klaus's approaching figure. He sat down in the remaining chair, raising an eyebrow at Davina.

"I don't recall my sister saying that you were coming, Davina. I'm sure I would've remembered."

Rebekah scoffed.

"I would've thought that you'd realized by now that Davina is practically family. Marcel treasures her like no other, and he's your son by everything but birth. Besides, I thought she might be helpful in this certain situation. Is that a problem, Nik?"

There was venom in Rebekah's tone that Caroline raised her eyebrows at, but it didn't faze Klaus. He just waved his hand in the air, sighing.

"Please, continue, Davina. Continue on with how these children apparently belong to my siblings, as well."

Davina frowned, glancing back at Caroline with a knowing expression. The vampire nodded in understanding. Klaus could be a real jackass sometimes. Most times.

"It was a metaphorical thing, Klaus."

"Wait, what do you mean children?"

Caroline glanced over at Elijah, really seeing him for the first time since he walked in. It was like he was a different person entirely. His usually neat hair was unkempt and unwashed, hanging down in his face. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a crumpled collar and an open top button, untucked from his black dress pants. A bottle of bourbon was tight in his grip. He simultaneously looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and had just rolled out of bed. Caroline had never seen him look so... broken.

"One of the witches who tried to 'save' Hayley, she was in Mystic Falls watching over Caroline. When she took off the spell veiling the pregnancy, she said that it was twins and that everyone else had been wrong, including us. That Hayley was actually carrying twin tribrids."

Elijah's expression didn't change, but his hand clenched around the glass bottle so tightly that it shattered, spraying bourbon and glass shards all over the floor. Caroline flinched, her eyes closing as she remembered Tyler's anger towards her only yesterday. She knew she wasn't in any danger from any of the Mikaelson siblings, but that didn't make her body any less nervous.

Klaus evidently took notice of her reaction, because the next thing Caroline knew, a pair of footsteps was crossing the room to her side. She opened her eyes to find Klaus ushering Davina over to his seat before taking her spot next to Caroline, between her and Elijah. She wanted to cry from the small yet touching gesture.

Elijah must've noticed Caroline's reaction as well, because he cleared his throat as Klaus sat down, plucking the glass from his hand and setting it on the table.

"Apologies, Miss Forbes. I shouldn't have reacted like that. I was just shocked by the news, though that is no excuse."

Caroline could see why Elena liked Elijah the best out of the Mikaelson siblings. Though his gentlemanly behavior was likely just a facade, some part of it had to be genuine. And he seemed to do anything to keep his word, so that was something, at least.

"Caroline, please. And it's alright, Elijah. I... couldn't imagine what you must be going through. I'm sorry."

Elijah settled back into impassivity, crossing his legs and knitting his fingers together in his lap.

"Thank you, Caroline. I appreciate that. Just know that however... distracted I may be, I still intend to put your and the twins' safety first. You can trust me."

Klaus scoffed, giving Elijah an even stare. He returned it with the same intensity.

"I will be the one in charge of Caroline's safety. I wouldn't trust you with choosing the color of paint in this house much less the things that are most important to me."

Caroline raised her eyebrows, glancing over at Rebekah. The latter nodded slightly, affirming that, yes, Klaus had, in fact, said that either Caroline or the twins, or maybe both, were the most important things to him.

Of course, Caroline's phone went off yet again at the most inconvenient of moments. She was going to just set it back to silent and be done with it, but then she saw the caller ID. Stefan.

Sighing, Caroline stood, drawing everyone's attention to her. She held her phone up in the air, knowing very well that they had all heard it ring.

"I should take this. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She picked up before she even left the room, interrupting Stefan before he could even get a word in.

"I'm fine, okay? I'm not in danger, I left willingly, and I don't need all of you texting and calling me constantly! God, I've been gone less than a day, and I feel like you're already sending out a search party!"

Caroline could hear Rebekah laugh in the other room, but she ignored it. She was tempted to go upstairs to somewhere she would be out of their hearing range, but she had no idea what that range was. Or if she would get lost.

"Well, hello to you, too."

Caroline took a deep breath, recentering herself.

"Sorry. Hello. I'm just... completely stressed to the max. What's the situation?"

"Well, Matt and Bonnie are freaking out already. Elena's surprisingly calm and said that because of recent events it makes sense that you're gone. I'm assuming you told her about..."

"Yeah. I did. She took it better than I thought she would, actually. I thought she would hate me for it."

"Damon couldn't care less. I think he's more worried about him and Elena. Your mom is crazy worried, but she knows we're well in control of the situation until she gets off of work, and that we'll keep her up to date."

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a minute. Caroline sat down on a bench in the foyer, her hand resting on her stomach again. She wasn't sure she would get used to that feeling anytime soon.

"So... why did you leave, then? Was it really because of you and-"

"No. I mean, not in whole. ...Are you alone?"

"Yeah. Elena hasn't come by since she came back, Damon's out and about suppressing his feelings, and Bonnie, Matt, and Tyler are scouting town for you. I'm just sitting in the house by myself. Why?"

"I _am_ sitting in the Mikaelson's foyer right now, but only somewhat by my own choice. Um... Remember how Rebekah said that Hayley died?"

"Yeah."

"Well, turns out that, long story short, that baby was actually _babies_. Twins that a certain powerful witch coven didn't want to die, and because of that, moved them into a surrogate. Into _me_. So now I'm in New Orleans, and I'm staying here until the twins are born. And I really didn't know how to tell you guys once Liv told me, so I just... didn't. I'm sorry."

Stefan stayed quiet for a moment. Caroline fidgeted in her spot, nerves overtaking her. She couldn't hear the others in the adjacent room, so they were probably listening in. Of course.

"What are you apologizing for, exactly? Were we worried? Absolutely. But I get why you didn't tell us. Not that I could ever imagine being in your situation, but I probably would've done the same thing. After Matt told me how Tyler reacted to you-know-what... I can't imagine if he found out about this."

Caroline didn't want to think about that either. She didn't want to think about anyone else finding out, really. They would try to talk her into coming back home. Come and drag her there when she refused.

"You won't tell them?"

"Not unless you want me to. Do you?"

"No. Maybe. Ugh. I don't know. It would be easier coming from you, and then it'd be over with. I mean, it's not like I can play keep-away for the next five months."

"So..."

"Don't lie. Tell them if you have to. Just don't tell them where I am, and please say that I don't want them to come after me. And that I'm perfectly safe. In fact, Rebekah's doting on me."

Stefan laughed.

"Now that I would like to see."

Rebekah appeared in the doorway into the living room, giving Caroline a flat look. Caroline raised an eyebrow at her, pushing herself to her feet.

"I should go. If looks could kill, Rebekah would have put me six feet under by now. Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Definitely. Goodbye, Caroline."

"Bye, Stefan."

Caroline lowered her hand, meeting Rebekah's eyes again.

"What?"

"We've come up with a game plan. Come sit."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline followed behind Rebekah, sitting back in her spot on the couch. Even when Rebekah was doting on her, she was still ultra bossy.

"So?"

Davina had evidently left sometime during her phone call with Stefan, because she were nowhere to be seen or heard. Elijah was the first to speak, clearing his throat and drawing Caroline's attention to him.

"My siblings and I have come to the conclusion that staying in New Orleans would be much too dangerous an option for you and the twins. We have a safe house in Arkansas that has been well maintained over the years, and would be a lovely place for you to stay until it is safe to come back."

Caroline stared at Elijah in disbelief, blinking slowly.

"...You expect me to traipse off to _Arkansas _by myself? Seriously?"

A look of horror crossed Rebekah's features, and she scoffed at Caroline.

"How _stupid _do you think we are? Klaus is accompanying you, of course. We would never dream of sending you by yourself."

"I had asked that it be Rebekah instead, but unfortunately, I was outvoted unanimously before Davina left. They think I'm not the best to leave in charge of the hunt for Hayley's killer, regardless of the fact that I'm the one who stood the most to lose in instance of her demise."

Klaus glanced over at his brother, frowning slightly.

"Well, maybe not the most, but certainly high up there."

Raising her eyebrows, Rebekah stared at Klaus.

"Like I said, we're not stupid, Nik. Elijah's in charge of the manhunt, whether you like it or not. Besides, even if he didn't want to be in charge of it, you aren't an option."

"And why not?"

"Because Caroline needs you."

The words slipped from Rebekah's lips easier than Caroline thought they would've. Even Elijah's eyes widened slightly at Rebekah's statement. Caroline rolled her eyes, ticking her fingers in the air.

"First off, I don't _need _Klaus. I would be fine with any one of you goi- okay, no, I would be fine with Elijah going with me."

Rebekah made a noise of agreement, crossing her arms. Twins or not, Caroline and Rebekah were too similar in personality to ever get along for more than a few hours at a time. Trapping them in a car together again, now that Rebekah was off her to-be-aunt high and Caroline wasn't so stressed, would be more dangerous than any murderer could ever could be.

Maybe they would grow on each other in time. But for now, it wasn't happening.

"Secondly, I still don't understand the purpose of this. You could still protect me in this house, right? So why the safe house instead?"

All three siblings looked at Caroline like she'd grown a second head.

...Somehow she thought she might be getting a lot of that look in months to come.

"...Because staying in town is not the wisest option, and it's certainly a dangerous one. And as much as I would love to be the one to accompany you to the safe house, that's just not a possibility. Therefore, my brother will be doing so."

Nodding silently, Caroline decided she would rather bite her tongue than keep getting talked down to by the Mikaelson's. Besides, this was one argument she knew she would never win.

Klaus stood up, meeting Caroline's eyes. Their eye contact had always been electric, but since they'd had sex, it seemed fueled with more raw intensity. Which was not a good thing for Caroline's willpower.

"I will have the staff collect your things, then. And after I pack my own, we'll set off for Arkansas."

Without another word, Klaus disappeared upstairs. Rebekah and Caroline exchanged glances, the older vampire pursing her lips.

"Nik seems to be in a bit of a _mood_. He's probably upset about being left out of the action. Good luck riding in a car with _that_."

Rebekah stood and disappeared as well. Elijah gave Caroline a nod in farewell and followed after his sister, leaving Caroline by herself in the living room. She sighed, then took a few deep breaths.

Just what she needed in her life: riding to another state in a car with the Original hybrid that she'd just had sex with as she was carrying his children he'd had with another woman.

...Just when she thought her life couldn't get any more complicated.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so, a couple of things. First of all, it baffles me more and more every time I get an email about a favorite or follow. Thank you all so much! I never expected this story to be this popular! Secondly, this is my last fully written chapter (my next one is only, like, 200 words so far). So, because of finals coming up and papers and things being due, I'm not sure that I'll be able to update on schedule this next time. I'm going home on the 25th (a day before the regular update schedule), but I really want to get together with my friends before anything else. So I'll probably be a week late updating. Sorry about that!**

**Thank you again for reading, and be sure to follow my story to get updates!**


	6. Separate Author's Note

...Well, I've missed three scheduled publishings now. Or is it four? I've lost count. Either way, I'm beyond sorry, but life is kicking my ass right now, and I'm still struggling through the next chapter in hopes that my writing doesn't sound like crap or totally OOC. Whoops.

So, first it was college, then my summer Stats class, then my new job, then insane writer's block, then I got sick. I know, excuses, excuses, right? But I promise that I will have something up this Sunday, even if that is just little tweaks of the first few chapters. I'm halfway done with where I need to be in _The Originals_, so after I've finished that up, I should hopefully be able to spend this Friday afternoon and some of Saturday fixing the inconsistincies with that plotline (i.e., Haylijah angst, Davina stuff, more backstory of what was already happening with Marcel before Hayley died, et cetera). Then I will *hopefully* be able to keep trucking ahead with the next chapter. Fingers crossed...

Oh, and I might be adding Katherine in? Maybe? IDK. Kat's my fav character, so I might just have to drag her in. If nothing else, for her potentialy amazing conversations and sass with Caroline. Just imagine it...

_"Ugh, delivery guys get more impatient by the day..."_

_Caroline speeds down the stairs, considerably slower than she would like. But she supposed that was one of the drawbacks of her pregnancy. She opened the door without a second thought, something that would've probably had Klaus chewing her out for carelessness. But Rebekah was outside in the pool, just barely in range, and the brothers were out doing something with someone, giving Caroline as little of a hint as usual._

_What Caroline wasn't expecting was to open the door to Elena. Elena obviously wasn't expecting it either, because she took a step back in surprise, her jaw dropping. Then her eyes dropped to Caroline's swollen stomach._

_"What the hell? When did you get knocked up? And how?"_

_Frowning, Caroline kept her hand tight around the handle of the door. Something about Elena wasn't right. That wasn't how she would talk._

_"Elena?"_

_An uncharacteristic smirk settled onto Elena's face, and Caroline's heart dropped into her stomach. Had she shut off her humanity again?_

_"Close but no cigar. Elena's locked up in here somewhere, but trying to get to her... Well, let's just say you don't have the right tools for that."_

_Realization came washing over Caroline like a tsunami. Elena's disapperance before Tyler's welcome back party. Her odd behavior since. Stefan's concerns that he'd been voicing to Caroline over their phone conversations..._

_"Katherine."_

_"Bingo! Now, as much as I would love to stand outside and chit-chat, I'm kind of in a bind. See, the Scooby-Doo gang-minus a certain Velma, or maybe you would be Daphne, who knows-figured out about my little... hostile takeover of a certain Doppleganger of mine and have been trying to hunt me down. Now, that can't happen, for reasons I'm sure you understand, and I figured that Klaus's was the last place they would look for me. Then I found out that he wasn't in New Orleans, but a little compulsion informed me of a safe house that he might be staying at, and well, here I am!"_

_Katherine made a move to go inside, but Caroline stepped to the side, blocking the space in the open door even more._

_"Why the hell should I let you in and give you asylum? You're taking my best friend prisoner in her own body, you should be dead, and, oh yeah, I hate your guts. Give me one good reason to help you."_

_Katherine debated the question for a moment, then shrugged._

_"No idea. Wasn't expecting you to answer the door. Klaus I could maybe convince to help me, even if he has spent the last 500 years chasing me down, but you... I don't really have a plan for that. Maybe I could appeal to the goodness of your heart?"_

_Batting her eyelashes, Katherine gave Caroline her best begging face. Caroline rolled her eyes._

_"The goodness of my heart would be to stab you right here and now and get Elena back."_

_Katherine's expression fell back to her regular resting bitch face, and she crossed her arms._

_"Yeah, but what good would that do? It would kill her, too. Besides, I'm sure I could be of help somehow. If you'll recall, I was a mother once, too. Even if my daughter was ripped from my arms."_

_"These aren't mine. They're... Well, I was an unwilling surrogate. Let's just leave it at that."_

_"Aw, is poor little Caroline being forced to fraternize with the enemy to help someone in need? Someone very old and very lonely, who's learned to shut everyone out over the years for fear of becoming vulnerable?"_

_Caroline opened her mouth to respond, but ended up closing it again. She wasn't sure what to say to that. Except to make another decision against her better judgement._

_"...Fine. But I'm leaving it up to the Mikaelsons to decide what to do with you. Hopefully they'll send you in a first class box back to Mystic Falls."_

_Katherine pushed past Caroline into the house, grinning._

_"Oh, wouldn't that be nice for you?"_

Wow, that came so easily. This is why I hate writer's block: it only applies to certain parts of a story. *rolls eyes* But anyway, before I even think about Kat, I might have to watch more of TVD. Ugh... Too much to do, too little time... But that's really all I have to say, so I should probably finish this TO episode before I have to go to work. Bye!


	7. Don't Lose Your Head

The silence of the first hour of the drive was more than welcome. It gave Caroline a chance to reflect on the last couple of days and gather her thoughts.

She fell asleep for the second and third hours, and a little while into the fourth.

The silence into the fifth hour was a little bit annoying, but Caroline wasn't about to break it.

By the time the sixth hour rolled around, Caroline was getting stir crazy. She wasn't used to sitting still without talking for this long, and it was gnawing at her. Klaus hadn't even glanced over at her one time the entire ride, and as much as she'd longed to get rid of him for good just a few days ago, now all she wanted was for him to acknowledge her existence, if only for a moment.

"Okay, I can't do this. You usually never shut up around me. What's the hold up now?"

Caroline's voice seemed to shake Klaus from a trance, because he blinked a few times, shaking his head slightly. Suddenly, it was like someone had flipped a switch. He glanced over at Caroline, sporting his usual smirk.

"So sorry, love. Is my silence bothering you?"

Frowning, Caroline tapped her fingers on the middle armrest. Whatever was eating at him must've been serious.

"Yes, actually. We still have two hours left in this trip, and I would rather not spend them continuing to stare out the window. Trust me, I understand more than anyone that this situation is weird and unexpected. But like it or not, I am sticking around."

"I would've thought it would be rather obvious that I like your 'sticking around', Caroline. Besides, out of all of my one night stands, I would've rather that you ended up carrying my child than Hayley Marshall. Even if Elijah did fancy her.

Caroline bristled at his wording, but said nothing. He wasn't wrong. They were essentially a one night stand, just... with more attachment. More complications. More to lose.

"Even though that's not physically possible."

Klaus smiled in an almost... begrudging manner, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Before, Caroline would say that if she didn't know him better, she might think he was disappointed about it not being possible.

But that was the thing: she knew him better than she had before. He was disappointed. Maybe fatherhood wasn't his thing, but she was. And she had a feeling he would be okay with just about anything if it meant keeping her around.

"So what is this safe house we're going to? I'm assuming that it's not a shanty like most safe houses, considering your family's taste for the finer things."

The smirk was back, and so were Klaus's eyes sliding in Caroline's direction. She rolled her eyes at his reaction to her apparent ego fluffing.

"It's in upper Arkansas, an old plantation house. Much like our New Orleans house, it's gone through a few renovations over the years. We usually have some humans keeping it up, but Rebekah called them and told them we're on our way over, so the ones that aren't staff are probably already gone."

Caroline looked over at him, eyebrow raised.

"They're not compelled?"

"Believe it or not Caroline, some people, supernatural and human alike, do trust us to some degree. Mainly vampire enthusiasts, but they do keep their mouths shut about what they do for us. They know that the moment they talk, we'll be waiting to rip them apart."

Leave it to Klaus to use threats to keep them in line. Sighing, Caroline rested her head on the window, staring out at the scenery going past. She was starting to get hungry again in both senses of the word, but the last thing she wanted was to ask Klaus to pull into a fast food place or something. Although, the image of him ordering from a McDonalds drive-through was pretty funny.

The snorting laugh that came from Caroline's direction caught Klaus's attention, and he glanced back over at her.

"What is it, love?"

She didn't want to tell him, but she knew he wouldn't take refusal for an answer. And he could almost always see right through her lies. Almost.

"...Just imagining you in a drive-through line. It's a ridiculous concept, one of the Original vampires ordering fries at McDonalds."

Klaus didn't respond audibly. Instead, his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he moved into the right lane. Caroline's brow furrowed. They had been in the left lane for the whole trip, and she didn't think their exit was anywhere soon. So why was he moving over?

She got her answer when Klaus pulled off of the freeway and into the parking lot of nothing other than a McDonalds a few minutes later.

"...Are we actually...?"

Caroline didn't finish her question, just gave Klaus an ample amount side-eye. He smirked back at her.

"Well, I didn't think there would be any possible reason for you to imagine a McDonalds drive-through unless you were hungry, correct? I believe I remember correctly that carrying the twins means you need human food as well. However, that does not mean that I am subjecting myself to going through a drive-through. We are going inside to get our food."

"Like dignified vampires?"

Klaus frowned at Caroline's mocking tone, but said nothing. Instead, he turned off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt. She followed suit, but she barely managed to get her door open before he was in front of her helping her out of the car. She smirked.

"Oh, look. You do have a soft side."

Caroline thought he would give her another snarky response, something along the lines of, "Don't be ridiculous; I'm an Original. We don't feel." But he surprised her completely when his expression softened and he whispered, "Only for you."

Before Caroline could say anything, Klaus took her arm and shut the door behind her, acting like he hadn't spoken a single word. As they walked towards the front doors, Caroline snuck glances at the older vampire. Sure, he'd been nice to her before, but he'd never outright declared his affections for her. Not since the first "I fancy you" from all that time ago.

The door opened in front of her, and Klaus stepped aside to let her through. Immediately, a table full of women in the front of the room turned to look in their direction, not even trying to be subtle about it. A pang of jealousy moved through Caroline like a hot flash, and as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't mind that feeling. That possessiveness towards this hot-and-cold man who both drove her crazy and made her life whole.

No.

Caroline blinked twice, frowning. She couldn't do that, thinking that way about Klaus. She wasn't here for him, she was here to give a father his children. That was it.

A sudden warmth surrounded Caroline's hand, and she glanced down in shock to find Klaus's fingers laced through hers. She glanced up at him, confused.

"What the hell are you doing?"

The words were barely a whisper, as Caroline didn't want to cause a scene and knew that Klaus would hear her anyway. He smirked at her, all but dragging her into line.

"Selling the lie, love. Would you rather be a pregnant woman walking around with a random man or a pregnant woman walking around with her significant other?"

"First of all, please never refer to yourself as my 'significant other' ever again. That is not what you are and we both know it. Secondly, it doesn't matter what these total strangers think of me. I'm never going to see them again. Or are you more concerned about drawing unwanted attention in a different regard, Mister Lady Killer?"

Klaus's mouth twitched up into a smile, and his eyes briefly flitted over to Caroline. His hand tightened around hers.

"In what way are you referring to, love? Because that phrase bears two very different connotations."

He winked at her, and a laugh pushed past Caroline's lips before she could stop it. Damn. What he'd said wasn't really funny in the slightest, more crude than that. But something about his presence always seemed to lower her defenses in a way that made her feel both terrified and secure, like the warmth of a fire that reaches just a little too close.

"You know very well which way I mean! Don't tell me you seriously didn't notice the entire table of women ogling you?"

"Caroline Forbes, if I didn't know you better, I might say that you're jealous."

"Of what, exactly? I think I've made myself very clear about where I stand."

"Yes, between my legs."

Caroline's jaw dropped, and she fumbled to come up with a response. They were still speaking quietly enough that no one would be able to hear them, but that didn't make her blush any less. His smirk only grew with her reaction.

"Um, can I help you?"

Apparently, they were so caught up in their conversation that neither of them noticed the line dwindling down, because the cashier was staring at them with raised eyebrows, and a rather sizeable line was forming behind them. Caroline threw a quick glare in Klaus's direction before starting for the counter, her face still hot. Like she was just thinking, no defenses.

"...A classic chicken sandwich, a large fry, and a medium mocha frappe. To go, please."

* * *

The side trip waiting in line at McDonalds cost them drive time, but on the bright side, it did get Klaus talking. And stealing her fries just to annoy her, since he didn't need to eat like she did once again. But an annoying Klaus was better than a silent, brooding Klaus. Marginally. It certainly made the drive go faster, anyway. The next hour flew by, and suddenly, it was like they were back to their old selves.

...Well, their new-old selves, from when Klaus had declared them friends and decided not to be a pompous asshole for once in his very long life.

"Seriously? Over 1,000 years of living and you've never been to Washington D.C.? Ever?"

"Not since we before fled to Europe in 1002. At which point it wasn't going to be D.C. for almost 800 years. So, technically, no."

Caroline just stared at him, her empty coffee cup in hand. For preaching to her about world travel, Klaus didn't seem to get around much. At least, not to the places that mattered. Paris and Rome were great, sure, but never being in the capital of the country? Ridiculous.

"Oh, come on! Even I went there with my mom once! It's practically a rite of passage!"

"I must've missed that section of my citizenship documents, then. Don't tell me you're going to turn me in?"

"I just might!"

Caroline found herself laughing. Like, an honest laugh, the kind that makes your sides hurt when it goes on for too long and leaves you feeling like you're walking on clouds. The kind that only seemed to happen when she was talking with or about Klaus.

She was treading in dangerous territory, being as relaxed and friendly as she was. But maybe she could pretend for this last hour of their car ride that things were different between them, that she was just a normal college student going on a trip with her boyfriend. Not an immortal teenager pregnant with twins that weren't hers and just so happened to belong to her own real-life Romeo Montague. A Romeo with really skewed morals and a murderous streak.

"So how long are we going to be staying in Arkansas?"

Klaus shrugged, finally exiting the highway onto a county road.

"It depends on how long it takes to find whoever killed Hayley. Or how long it takes for Rebekah to tire of the hunt and try to convince Elijah to give it up. That is one of the few traits my siblings and I share: unbelievable tenacity."

Laughing, Caroline shook her head.

"Understatement of the century. You are literally the most determined, unrelenting person I know."

"I choose to take that as a compliment, love."

It is. Caroline bit her lip before the words left her mouth. The last thing she needed was to give him any more of an ego. She wasn't sure the world could take it.

"How far are we?"

"Only about fifteen minutes. You'll see it when we get there; it sticks out like a sore thumb against the greenery."

Caroline opened her mouth to speak again, but before she could, her phone went off for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Sighing, she pulled it out of her pocket and checked the caller ID. Stefan again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Care. I know we said tomorrow, but your mom stopped by to check for any updates, and I thought you might want to tell her if no one else? You don't have to. She doesn't know I'm talking to you; I can just tell her we haven't found you yet and send her on her way."

Should she? It was her mother; if anyone would understand the rationale behind her actions, it was her. Caroline hesitated for a few more moments, the only noise around her that of the road. Then Klaus cleared his throat.

"It's none of my business I'm sure, but personally, I think you should tell her. I may not have the best relationship with my family, but I still understand that my siblings come before all else. I would imagine your mother is the same for you."

Caroline nodded slowly, absorbing Klaus's words. He was right, of course. So there was only one option.

"Give her the phone, Stefan."

"Okay."

Caroline listened closely to the distant footsteps on the other end of the phone, then the opening and closing of a door. Another few seconds of footsteps passed before she heard, "Liz?"

Caroline's heart leapt into her throat, but nerves aside, she couldn't go back on her choice. Nor did she want to, really.

"It's Caroline."

The sound of rustling clothing sounded in Caroline's ears, and then a familiar voice came over the line, creating tears in her eyes.

"Caroline?"

"Hi, Mom."

Both of their voices were hoarse with emotion, and her mom sighed in relief.

"Thank God. None of the others knew anything, and Stefan was the last person I went to. No offense, of course, Stefan. But your house is the farthest from the station."

"None taken, Liz. I'll leave you two to it."

Caroline waited until she couldn't hear Stefan's footsteps anymore before continuing.

"I'm sorry I didn't reach out to you sooner. It's just... a lot of stuff has happened in the last couple of days, and I don't really know where to start. I'm so glad to hear your voice, though. I miss you."

"I miss you, too, sweetheart. Where are you? Are you coming home soon?"

Sighing, Caroline held her phone tighter, tears sliding down her face. Klaus kept glancing over at her as he drove. She wasn't sure what he was looking for.

"That's the thing. I don't think it'll be anytime soon. It's... kind of a long story. One that the others don't know about."

She heard her mom's footsteps on the other end, then the rustling of fabric.

"I'll watch for them to come up the drive."

Caroline took a deep breath before starting, steeling her nerves. This must've been the sixth time she told this story, but for some reason, this time was even more difficult than when she told Klaus.

"A few days ago, Hayley Marshall got killed in New Orleans. She was pregnant with Klaus's child who turned out to be twins, twins that a witch coven didn't want dead. Twins that they moved into me, an unwilling surrogate. I didn't even know until the witch they assigned to protect told me, then took down the cloaking spell. So I went back to NOLA with Rebekah and told the Mikaelsons what I knew. But things are pretty rough there because of Hayley's death, so I'm on my way to Arkansas to stay in one of their safe houses. I'm not sure how long I'll be in Arkansas, but I... I want to stay until the twins are born. I guess that's the just of it."

Caroline fell silent, waiting for her mom to speak. It took a few moments, and all she could hear was her breathing through the phone.

"...Are you sure this is what you want? To stay with the Mikaelsons for the next few months?"

She started to cry even more, her silent tears turning into sniffles and ragged breathing. No one had asked her that up to now, not Liv, not Stefan, not Klaus, no one. But her mom did, because all that mattered to her about this whole situation was what Caroline wanted.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm not leaving now, not until this is over."

"Okay, then. That's that."

"...You're not going to convince me otherwise?"

"No, I'm not. You're an adult, and you can make your own decisions. Do I like it? Absolutely not. In fact, I hate the idea of you being by yourself with the Mikaelsons, especially Klaus. But I'll respect it."

Caroline saw Klaus frown out of the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to look at him. He raised an eyebrow at her, turning onto a side road as he did.

"What's wrong with me?"

Rolling her eyes, Caroline scoffed.

"I would need another six hours on this drive to list the reasons. Now be quiet and let me finish talking before we get to the house."

"Is he there with you?"

Caroline could practically see the frown on her mom's face.

"You didn't think I was driving to Arkansas by myself, did you?"

She tried to keep her tone light to distract her mom from her worry. It didn't work.

"I would actually prefer that. Is it just him? Has he tried anything?"

Klaus sighed audibly, holding out his hand for Caroline to give him the phone. She just stared at him for a moment before placing it in his hand. He raised it to his ear.

"Hello, Sheriff."

Caroline gave him a flat look, unamused by his light, almost playful tone. He winked at her before directing his attention back to the road and her phone.

"...Klaus. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Liz's voice was a direct contrast from Klaus's, a monotone drawl that simply screamed, "Put my daughter back on the phone right now," and Caroline had to muffle a laugh behind her hand. If these were their conversations over the phone, she could only imagine what their conversations in real life would be like.

No. Stop.

She couldn't think like that. Those were dangerous thoughts, unjustifiable, possessive thoughts. The kind of thoughts that made her sink deeper into the quicksand of never wanting to leave.

Caroline blinked, reorienting herself and refocusing on the conversation.

"I haven't hurt, attacked, compelled, yelled, or even glared. I may be a murderer, which apparently isn't your cup of tea, but I promise not to let anything happen to your daughter. Cross my heart, however small it may be."

He sent a smirk in Caroline's direction, but she only rolled her eyes in response. Was that little declaration supposed to make her feet better? Because it didn't, not by a long shot.

"...Fine. Give the phone back to my daughter."

Klaus handed the phone back to Caroline, mumbling, "Nice to talk with you, too" under his breath. Caroline bit back a laugh, holding the phone up.

"So? What's the verdict?"

"...Just keep me posted."

Laughing quietly, Caroline shook her head. The downside of having a sheriff for a mother...

"I will. Promise. Don't tell the others?"

"I won't. I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye."

Caroline hung the phone up and shoved it back in her pocket, then glanced over at Klaus. He was watching her out of the corner of his eye, something indescribable hovering in his features.

No, not indescribable. Just something very unnatural, something that Caroline had never seen from him before: sadness.

And against her will, her heart broke for him, just a little bit. Like the start of a crack in a porcelain bowl, the kind of thing that you know will destroy it entirely if you let it keep happening for too long.

"What?"

"...Nothing, love."

Klaus's eyes moved back to the road, and he slowed to turn onto a narrow road. No, not a road. A driveway. A driveway that led up to a house that took Caroline's breath away.

It was an elegant colonial farmhouse with a wrap-around porch, the kind of house that Caroline has always dreamed of owning. She loved everything about it: the cute shutters on every window, the small bushes that lined the front path, the rocking chairs out front, the swirls that decorated the capital of each column... It was gorgeous.

Caroline may not have been much of an artist, but she always loved architecture, and she always knew that if she wasn't breaking into the fashion world, going to school for architecture was the next best thing. Then she ended up at Whitmore, which didn't have an architecture program, and she ended up majoring in drama. Which was fine with her, but not her first choice.

She must've been gawking for a while, because a hand reached up to snap its fingers in front of her face. Caroline blinked, turning to look at Klaus.

"What?"

He smirked, the brief sadness she had seen before completely dispelled. Honestly, she wasn't entirely uncertain that she hadn't just imagined it.

"I take it you like the house?"

Caroline broke out in a smile, raising her eyebrows.

"Are you kidding me? It's so beautiful!"

Laughing under his breath, Klaus stepped out of the car, rounding it to Caroline's door before she could even think of reaching for the handle. He opened it for her, holding out his hand for her to take. She frowned.

"I'm not made of china, you know. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"Yes, because you have proven yourself so capable of keeping steady previously."

A spark of anger ignited in Caroline, along with the familiar rush that came with bickering with Klaus. It was amazing how quickly their exchanges could flip from gushing about a house to arguing once again.

"Ugh, you Mikaelsons are so overprotective! I don't need to be babied!"

Caroline knocked Klaus's hand aside, pushing herself out of the car and onto the driveway. She grabbed her bags from the back of the car, glaring at Klaus as she walked past him.

Honestly, she was a little woozy still, since she hadn't fed since the restaurant with Rebekah. But she wasn't about to let Klaus win.

...And she had called him unrelenting?

Caroline huffed, climbing up the stairs to the front door. It opened for her as she was turning around to wait for Klaus, a petite blonde woman standing in the doorway. She nodded at Caroline, then stepped forward to take her luggage.

"Oh, I'm alright. I can manage myself."

The woman hesitated, glancing behind Caroline to Klaus.

"Take them, Suzie."

Suzie glanced at Caroline somewhat apologetically before taking everything but her purse from her. She disappeared inside the house, leaving Caroline with no choice but to follow her. She shot Klaus a brief glare as she did so.

Despite not being quite as grandiose as their Mystic Falls or New Orleans homes, the inside of the house was certainly nothing to scoff at. It was surprisingly cosy-looking for being a safe house for a group of 1,000-year-old vampires. Caroline was glad she was living here for the time being instead of the New Orleans mansion that she surely would've gotten lost in. Maybe they could just stay until the twins were born if she asked Klaus nicely enough. Lord knows he would move heaven and earth for her if she wanted him to.

...That was why she'd never been able to hate him like everyone else did. Not only did she sympathize with him a little bit, but he was the only man in her life who ever put her first. Over his siblings, over his precious doppelganger, over his revenge... Over everything.

Rebekah was wrong. It wasn't that she didn't know that Klaus was in love with her. She knew that fact all too well, because all of the good she had seen him do had only ever been for her. But that influence she held over him-along with her own feelings for him-terrified her to her very core. It was like having an active grenade in her hand, knowing that her only two options were to either let herself take the blast or throw it to everyone else in front of her.

"Well, what are you in the mood for? I know you like blood bags and whatnot, but unfortunately, it seems that no one thought to get some to put in the fridge. The staff are always more than willing, though."

Caroline's lip curled at the thought of drinking from the vein, and Klaus raised his hands in surrender.

"You don't have to drink straight from the vein, love. A glass would work just as well."

She wanted to say no, but the gnawing hunger growing inside of her made her hesitate. Did she really believe that the staff wasn't compelled?

...Of course she did. Klaus may have been a complete dick and a murderer, but he had never lied to her. Ignoring, of course, when he didn't correct her on him not actually being Tyler all that time ago. But other than that, she had no reason to doubt him.

"Fine. But I expect blood bags in the fridge by tomorrow."

"Of course, love. I'll send someone to get a whole fridge-full for you."

Klaus disappeared into what Caroline assumed was the kitchen, leaving her to walk into the living room and sit down on the couch. She could hear him speaking with someone, but chose to try and ignore it. Thankfully, Suzie reappeared in time to distract her.

"Your luggage is upstairs, Ma'am."

Caroline shook her head, laughing. She patted the seat next to her, and Suzie hesitated a moment before taking a seat.

"Just Caroline is fine, I promise. I am not old enough for you to be calling me 'Ma'am'. Suzie, right?"

Suzie smiled softly.

"My name is Margarette... Caroline."

She seemed to struggle to get Caroline's name out, but it didn't bother the vampire in the slightest. She was more concerned with the young woman's name.

"Then why...? You know, nevermind. I get it. He didn't bother to actually learn your name, did he? He just calls all of you whatever he pleases."

Margarette's smile stayed intact, and she shook her head slightly.

"Sir tries his best to learn our names. He's just too busy to come by often, and when he does, it's not under the best circumstances. This is a safe house, after all."

Scoffing, Caroline propped her arm up on the back of the couch, giving Margarette a flat look.

"He's a 1,000-year-old vampire. You would think his memory would be a bit better than that."

Margarette simply kept smiling, saying nothing. Of course she didn't. She still worked for Klaus, even if he didn't actually bother to learn her name.

"If you'll excuse me, Caroline, I have work to get done."

"Of course. Let me know if I can help, Margarette."

The young woman seemed startled by Caroline's request, but nodded once all the same. She nipped from the room, leaving Caroline on her own once again. She sighed, resting her head against the back of the couch and closing her eyes. She wanted to soak up every moment of peace in this new whirlwind of her life, no matter how short that moment was.

Resting her hands on her stomach, Caroline let herself imagine the babies growing inside. They would surely grow up to be beautiful girls. After all, Caroline may have hated Hayley for rocking the boat so much, but there was no denying how gorgeous she was. Besides, one should never speak ill of the dead, and really, Caroline didn't hate her much anymore. Not after everything she'd been through.

Still, Caroline couldn't help but feel a sickening sense of relief and gratitude that Hayley was dead. She'd caused such a problem in her life for so long that maybe she deserved to be gone. Even after death she was causing problems for Caroline, what with her transferred pregnancy and all.

...But who knows what would've happened if Liv hadn't been there to protect her from Tyler. And Hayley certainly wasn't the reason for that fight, Klaus was. So why was she so immediately willing to go running back to him, with or without the twins?

Caroline sighed, closing her eyes so tightly she saw stars. She opened them again, letting them adjust before standing up and making her way to wherever Klaus had disappeared to.

Maybe it was best if she wasn't alone with her thoughts.

* * *

**AN: *bangs head on desk until it starts bleeding* I. AM. SO. LOST. Like, literally and completely lost. I know where I want to get, but I don't know how to get there. Which is something that happens to almost all writers, and it f*cking sucks. So, sorry for the super long hiatus for new chapters, but meh. At least I got this one done.**

**Please tell me if something is too OOC. Because I swear I don't even know how to write Caroline anymore. I mean, my college English teacher just said a few months ago that I wrote the best, most true to character piece of fanfiction she'd seen in her 18 years of teaching (shamelessly plugging my Outsiders fanfic here), but apparently I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO DO ANYTHING SINCE THEN.**

**Well, whatever. Updates maybe? JK, I will be updating. Just no promises that it will be on schedule (as if any of these have been -_-**)** since I have to start getting ready to head back to college soon. Ugh. Fun times...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and putting up with my BS!**


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